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;. KING EDWARD VII. 




OuEEN Victoria 



LIFE AND REIGN 



OF 



QUEEN VICTORIA 

B^ING A COMPLETE NARRATIVE OP HER GRAND I,IFE; AND BENEFICENT REIGN, 

THE MOST DISTINGUISHED OP THE NINETEENTH CENTURY, 

COMPRISING 

THE RECORD OP HER ANCESTRY, THE STORY OF HER CHILDHOOD, YOUTH, 

CORONATION, COURTSHIP, MARRIAGE, AND THE IMPORTANT 

EVENTS OP HER REIGN. 



HER DIAMOND JUBILEE CELEBRATION. 



HER CIvOSINO DAYS, HEJR DEATH AND BURIAI, AND THE ACCES- 
SION OP HER SUCCESSOR. 



INCI,UDING THE I,IVES OF 

KING KDWARD VII. and QUKKN AI^EXANDRA. 



PROF. CHARLES MORRIS 

RENOWNED AUTHOR AND UtSTORIAN 
AND 

MURAT HALSTEA;D, 

CEI,EBRATED HISTORIAN AND JOURi-JAtlST. 



SPI,ENDIDI,Y muSTRATED WITH MANY PORTRAITS AND VIEWS IN HAI^F-TONES. 



INTERNATIONAI, PUBWSHING SOCIETY, 
PUBI,ISHERS. 



THE. LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two Copies R.-ceived 

MAR. 5 1901 

Copyright entry 

CLASS ^^XXc. No, 

COPY B. 



71 A 



/_> /r ^-/^ 



Copyrighted, 1901, by 

H. I,. BARBER, 
Chicago, - U. S. A. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 



i Birth and Childhood of Queen Victoria, 



Coronation at Westminster Abbey, 



Royal Courtship and Marriage, 



Early Years of Wedded Life, 



Joys and Cares of Royalty, 



Happy Years of Wedded Bliss, 



CHAPTER n. 



CHAPTER HI. 



CHAPTER IV. 



CHAPTER V. 



CHAPTER VI. 



CHAPTER VII. 



Fatal Illness of the Prince Consort, 

CHAPTER Vin. 
Early Year's of the Queen's Widowhood, . 



Twenty Years of Faithful Service, 



Celebrations of the Royal Jubilee, 



Years of Mingled Joy and Sorrow, 



CHAPTER IX. 



CHAPTER X. 



CHAPTER XI. 



CHAPTER XII. 
sixty Four Years on the Throne, . 



EAGB 
II 



* 34 
70 

i 88 
102 
123 

I4S 
156 
162 

. 156 
184 



(5) 



193 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XIII. 
Behind Gilded Gates or Domestic Miscellany, 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Entertainments at Buckingham Palace, 



CHAPTER XV. 



The Descendants of the Queen, 



CHAPTER XVI. 
Picturesque Court of Queen Victoria, 

CHAPTER XVII. 
Characteristics of the Heir Apparent, 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



Festivities of the Diamond Jubilee, 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Great Day of the Diamond Jubilee, 

CHAPTER XX. 

Other Interesting and Enjoyable Events, 



XXI. 



Closing Days of the Great Celebration, 



CHAPTER XXII. 
Closing Days of Queen Victoria's Reign, 

CHAPTER XXIII. 
The Death of Queen Victoria, 

CHAPTER XXIV. 
Review of Queen Victoria's Reign, 

CHAPTER XXV. 
Prince of Wales Succeeds as King Edward VII., 



PASB 

199 



340 
272 
285 
318 
339 
372 
388 
413 
428 

- 443 
468 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Queen Victoria, 

Tlirone Room, Windsor Castle. 

Ball Room, Windsor Castle. 

Queen Victoria at Four. 

Queen Victoria at Eighteen. 

Windsor Castle, East Front. 

Queen Victoria's Throne. 

The Duke and Duchess of Fife. 

Royal Boudoir and Bed-room. 

A Fox-Hunt, the Start and Finish. 

Royal Diadem and Crown. 

Duke of Clarence and Avondale and Princess May of Teck. 

The Dowager Czarina of Russia, sister of the Princess of Walesr. 

The German Emperor and the Crown Prince, Grandson and 

Great Grandson of Queen Victoria. 
A Royal Carriage. 
The Marchioness of Stafford. 
Princess Victoria of Wales. 
Queen Passing Soldiers' Monument. 
Prince George of Wales. 
The Prince of Wales in Royal Attire. 
The Princess of Wales. 

Buckingham Palace, View from St. James ParK. 
Judge Huddlestone of the Supreme Court of England. 
Balmoral Castle. 
Osborne House, Isle of Wight. 
Great Naval Demonstration at Spithead. 
Albert Memorial Tomb. 
Queen Victoria at Seventy-eight. 
Coronation Ceremony. 
Marriage Services at the Chapel Royal. 
U. S. War-ship "Brooklyn." 



8 



UST OF II,I<USTRATI0NS. 



King Edward VII. 

Queen Victoria on Her Seventh Birthday, 

Queen Alexandra. 

The Dowager Empress Victoria. 

Balmoral Castle. 

Marlborough House. 

Buckingham Palace. 

Windsor Castle. 

St. James Palace. 

Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. 

William II, Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia. 

Gladstone. 

Right Hon. Benjamin Disraeli, Earl Beaconsfield. 

Lord Roseberry. 

Lord Salisbury. 

Chas. S. Parnell. 

John Dillon, M. P. 

Sir Robert Peel. 

Lord Hartington : Duke of Devonshire. 

Justin McCarthy. 

Right Hon. John Bright. 

The Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain. 

Cardinal Newman. 

Cardinal Manning. 

Half a Century Personal Change, 

The Lobby of the House of Commons. 

Field Marshal Lord Roberts. 

Major-General Lord Kitchener. 

First Canadian Contingent En Route for South Africa. 

Lieutenant-General J. D. P. French. 

Major Gen. T. Kelly-Kenny. 

Sir Donald A. Smith, Lord Strathcona. 



PUBLISHERS' PREFACE. 



"1 T rHKN tlie comparative history of tlie nineteentli cen- 
tury is written tlie Victorian era will be credited 
witH tlie greater and grander achievements of tliat wonderful 
period of time. Among the sovereigns of that century Vic- 
toria will have a place as the most illustrious, not only 
because of her beneficent and peaceful reign, but because of 
her many personal virtues that endeared her to people wher- 
ever hearts beat warm in appreciation of noble qualities in 
human nature. 

During Victoria's reign seventeen Presidents occupied the 
position as chief executive in the United States, and many 
sovereigns sat upon European thrones. Nations rose and 
fell. Illustrious men and women came and went. Discov- 
eries added empires to the world. Inventions ameliorated 
the toil of man. Charity broadened religion. Reason liberal- 
ized government. No other sixty years has seen such strides 
in science, such marvelous development in education, such 
wise legislation for the betterment of humanity, such growth 
in religious tolerance, such miracles of invention, such 
strengthening of bonds between nations, such universal 
advance toward higher living. 

It may never be known, and less probably recognized, how 
much of this progress was due, directly and indirectly, to the 
influence of Victoria's reign. Through all the vicissitudes 
and temptations of the long years she remained the same 

9 



lo publishers' preface. 

generous but steadfast ruler, loyal to lier conscience in tHe 
discharge of duty. 

No sovereign of modern times lias witnessed so great a 
widening of Ms domains as did Victoria. Wlien slie passed 
away lier subjects numbered over four hundred million 
people, and her vast empire covered an area of over eleven 
million square miles. The increase of the empire during 
her reign was an average of 165 square miles of territory a 
day, being equal to more than the bulk of England each 
year, or about seventy Bnglands in sixty years. 

Victoria's reign having run parallel with this progress, 
the story of her life and the history of her reign form a 
record of the growth of the nineteenth century civilization. 
The purpose of the authors has been to present a compre- 
hensive account, based on the most authentic information, 
of the Queen's, life and reign. The work was begun nearly 
ten years ago, which has allowed ample time for gathering 
data and verifying current information. 

Mr. Halstead's career as a writer and chronicler of current 
events has been almost parallel with the reign of Queen 
Victoria. For more than a half century he has been one of 
the few great American journalists whose fame has extended 
throughout the world. He has witnessed and described the 
great events of the Victorian era, and his work in the present 
volume, beginning as it does with Chapter XXIII and con- 
cluding the book, may be considered as a most masterful 
survey of this brilliant span of time and of the Queen's life 
and passing away. THE PUBLISHERS. 



BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD 
QUEEN VICTORIA. 



CHAPTER I. 

TN tHe long and chequered annals of tlie Britisli Empire 
two reigns Have been especially illustrious, and in both 
tbose reigns a woman wielded tbe scepter of England. 
Probably tbere is no age more brilliant in history than that 
of the "Maiden Queen." The age of Elizabeth was an 
epoch of lofty genius and many-sided power. Invincible in 
arms, it was also transcendent in intellect. 

The other noble epoch in British history is that associ- 
ated with the reign of Queen Victoria. If in the Eliza- 
bethan age literature reached its culminating point of splen- 
dor, and the fame of England's prowess traveled beyond the 
seas, the Victorian age has, on the other hand, witnessed an 
expansion of England that would have seemed incredible to 
our ancestors, while the triumphs of science and the arts, and 
the progress of the people are without a parallel in the his- 
tory of the world. In these various developments, as in all 
that concerned the welfare and happiness of her people, Vic- 
toria took a deep and continuous interest ; and it was vouch- 
safed to her, as it has been vouchsafed to few sovereigns, 
to look back upon a long period of beneficent government, 
whose record is written large in the history of Britain. And 
now that she has passed away, the hearts of all her subjects, 
and of the civilized world, pay homage to her memory and 
give grateful voice to the beneficence of her pure life and 
noble reign. 

II 



12 THE PRINCESS BORN AT KENSINGTON. 

It is proposed in the following pages to relate the life of the 
Queen, and not the history of her reign. Nevertheless, the 
personal narrative will necessarily be interwoven with public 
events, for a monarch, beyond all other persons, cannot 
escape the pressure and burden of the times. An ideal 
sovereign, besides his or her private joys and sorrows, bears 

, in remembrance those of the people; and such a sovereign has 
Queen Victoria been from the time when, still youthful in 
years, she assumed her high destiny as ruler of the English 
people to the present year of grace, which is not the least 
memorable in a memorable reign. 

Her Majesty was born at Kensington Palace on the 24th 
of May, 1819. She was the only child of Edward, Duke of 
Kent, and her Serene Highness Victoria Mary Louisa, 
daughter of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg Saalfeld, widow of 
Emich Charles, Prince of Leiningen, and sister of Prince 
Leopold. 

The little Princess was baptized on the 24th of June in 
the grand saloon of Kensington Palace. The Archbishop 
of Canterbury performed the ceremony, and the child re- 
ceived the names of Alexandrina Victoria. There seemed 
little probability that the child thus ushered into the world 
would ever become Queen of England. The Duke of Kent 
was the fourth son of George III ; but a series of unexpected 

[ changes soon brought his daughter near the throne. Upon 
the death of the deeply-lamented Princess Charlotte, the 
only child of George IV, the Duke of York had become 
heir-presumptive to the crown. His Royal Highness had no 
children, however, and the Duke of Clarence, the third son 
of George III, came next in succession. The Duke of 
Clarence had married, and his wife, the Princess Adelaide, 



FATAL ILLNESS OF THE DUKE. 1 3 

bore him a daughter, who, if she had lived, would, in the 
natural order of things, have become Queen. But this child 
died in infancy, leaving the Princess Victoria the only scion 
of the royal stock. 

The Duke and Duchess of Kent, with their infant daughter, 
went to Sidmouth, on the east coast of Devon, at the close 
of 1 819. The stay there was destined to have a sad and 
fatal termination. The Duke was seized with a severe indis- 
position, occasioned by delaying to change his wet boots 
after a walk through the snow. Affection for his child had 
drawn him to the nursery immediately on reaching home. To 
a severe chill succeeded inflammation of the chest, with 
high fever, which resulted fatally. The Duke was perhaps 
more highly esteemed than any other son of George III. His 
public conduct was judicious and self-sacrificing. In the 
army he initiated many healthful reforms. After he ceased 
from active service in it, he interested himself in humanitarian 
movements of all kinds, especially devoting himself to the 
cause of the widow and orphan. The result was that he be- 
came known as the " Popular Duke," and no royal personage 
ever better deserved the title. He was of regular and tem- 
perate habits, kind to all, and the firm friend of those who 
put their trust in him. His generosity was such that it fre- 
quently outran discretion, causing embarrassment to himself; 
but the poor had the benefit of it. I find that the Duke was 
ofificially connected with sixty-two societies, every one of 
which was devoted to some noble, religious, or charitable ob- 
ject. The personal virtues of the Duke, the love he bore 
his country, and the untiring exertions he displayed in the 
cause of philanthropy and religion, justly gave him a high 
place in the affections of his fellow-countrymen. It was aus- 



14 DEPARTURE FROM SIDMOUTH. 

picious that the Queen should have such a father, for many 
of his traits, with the gentleness and uprightness which dis- 
tinguished the mother, descended in large measure upon the 
child. 

Two days after the death of the Duke, the Duchess of 
Kent, accompanied by her babe and her brother, Prince 
Leopold, set out for London. Where all was sad and mourn- 
ful there was one gleam of sunshine, for the infant, " being 
held up at the carriage window to bid the assembled popu- 
lation of Sidmouth farewell, sported and laughed joyously, 
and patted the glasses with her pretty dimpled hands, in 
happy unconsciousness of her melancholy bereavement." 
The Duchess arrived at Kensington Palace on the 29th of 
January, and on that very day the Prince Regent succeeded 
to the throne by the death of his father. The likeness of the 
Duke of York to her lost father deceived the little Princess 
Victoria, and when the former came on his visit of con- 
dolence, and also subsequently, she stretched out her hands 
to him in the belief that he was her father. The Duke was 
deeply touched by the appeal, and, clasping the child to his 
bosom, he promised to be indeed a father to her. Many 
addresses of condolence were received by the Duchess, and 
as she generally received them with her infant in her arms, 
there was frequently a painful contrast witnessed between 
the tear-stained face of the mother and the happy, smiling 
countenance of the daughter. 

Interesting stories are told of the times when Princess 
Victoria appeared, at fifteen months old, in a child's phaeton, 
tied safely to the vehicle with a broad ribbon around her 
waist. 

The baby liked to be noticed, and answered all who spoke 




Queen V/ :toria at Four. 




Queen Victokia on Her Sevenih Birthday. 



THE BABY PRINCESS. 1 5 

to her. She would say, " Lady," and *' Good morning," and, 
when told, would hold out her soft, dimpled hand to be 
kissed. ** Her large blue eyes, beautiful bloom, and fair 
complexion made her a model of infantine beauty." On one 
occasion she was nearly killed by the upsetting of the pony 
carriage. A private soldier, named Maloney, claimed the 
honor of having saved England's future sovereign. He was 
walking through Kensington Gardens one day when he saw 
a pony carriage in which was seated a child. The pony was 
led by a page, a lady walked on one side of the chaise and a 
young woman on the other. Suddenly the pony became 
frightened and plunged forward, throwing tKe child out, head- 
downward. In a moment it would have been crushed be- 
neath the weight of the carriage had not Maloney grasped 
her dress before she touched the ground and swung her into 
his arms. He restored her to the lady, and was told to fol- 
low the carriage to the Palace, where he received a guinea 
and the thanks of the Duchess of Kent for saving the life of 
her dear child, the Princess Alexandrina. 

The widowed Duchess resolved that her child should be 
brought up under her own eye, and to this work she relio-- 
iously devoted herself. " A few months after the birth of 
my child," said the Duchess, describing her situation at this 
time, " my infant and myself were awfully deprived of father 
and husband. We stood alone, almost friendless and un- 
known, in this country. I could not even speak the language 
of it. I did not hestitate how to act. I gave up my home, 
my kindred, and other duties, to devote myself to a duty 
which was to be the sole object of my future life." And an 
admirable home training, after the best of English traditions, 
was the result of this devotion. Simplicity of diet, regularity 



1 6 LIFE AT KENSINGTON. 

of hours, and no excitement were the main principles upon 
which the Duchess proceeded in rearing her offspring. The 
life at Kensington was as simple as that of any English 
household. " The family party met at breakfast at eight 
o'clock in summer-time, the Princess Victoria having her 
bread and milk and fruit on a little table by her mother's 
side. After breakfast, the Princess Feodore studied with her 
governess. Baroness Lehzen, and the Princess Victoria went 
out for an hour's walk or drive. From ten to twelve her 
mother instructed her; after which she amused herself by 
running through the suite of rooms which extended round 
two sides of the palace, and in which were many of her toys. 
At two came a plain dinner, while the Duchess took her 
luncheon. After this, lessons again till four, then would come 
a visit or a drive ; and after that the Princess would ride or 
walk in the gardens ; or occasionally, on very fine evenings, 
the whole party would sit out on the lawn under the trees. 
At the time of her mother's dinner, the Princess had her 
supper, and after playing games with her nurse, she would 
join in the dessert, and at nine she would retire to her bed, 
which was placed by the side of her mother's." 

King George IV presented the Princess on her fourth 
birthday with a superb token of remembrance, being a minia- 
ture portrait of himself richly set in diamonds. He also gave 
a State dinner party to the Duchess and her daughter. In 
the following year, in response to a message from his 
Majesty, Parliament voted an annual grant of £6,000 to the 
Duchess of Kent for the education of the young Princess. 

After six years spent under the care of her tutors, the 
Princess could lay claim to considerable accomplishments. 
Owing to the exercise of unusual natural abilities, she could 



m;ducation of the princess. 17 

speak French and German with fluency, and was acquainted 
with Italian ; she had made some progress in Latin, being 
able to read Virgil and Horace with ease ; she had com- 
menced Greek, and studied mathematics, in which difficult 
science she evinced much proficiency ; and she had likewise 
made considerable progress in music and drawing. 

Occasionally the child longed for companions of her own 
age, and a delightful anecdote is related in illustration of this. 
As the youthful Princess took great delight in music, her 
mother sent for a noted child performer of the day, called Lyra, 
to amuse her with her remarkable performances on the harp. 
On one occasion, while the young musician was playing one 
of her favorite airs, the Duchess of Kent, perceiving how 
deeply her daughter's attention was engrossed with the music, 
left the room for a few minutes. When she returned she 
found the harp deserted. The heiress of England had be- 
guiled the juvenile minstrel from her instrument by the dis- 
play of some of her costly toys, and the children were dis- 
covered '* seated side by side on the hearthrug in a state of 
high enjoyment, surrounded by the Princess's playthings, 
from which she was making the most liberal selections for the 
acceptance of poor little Lyra." 

" Her Royal Highness was a beautiful child, with a cherubic 
form of features, clustered round by glossy, fair ringlets. Her 
complexion was remarkably transparent, with a soft but often 
heightening tinge of the sweet blush-rose upon her cheeks, 
that imparted a peculiar brilliancy to her clear blue eyes. 
Whenever she met any strangers in her usual paths she al- 
ways seemed, by the quickness of her glance, to inquire who 
and what they were. The intelligence of her countenance 
was extraordinary at her very early age ; but might easily be 



1 8 A WALK IN KENSINGTON GARDENS. 

accounted for on perceiving the extraordinary intelligence of 
her mind." 

She bore a very striking resemblance to her late royal 
father, and indeed to every member of the reigning family. 

Charles Knight, in his Passages of a Working Life^ fur- 
nishes a glimpse of the Princess as he saw her in 1827. "I 
delighted to walk in Kensington Gardens," he observes. "As 
I passed along the broad central walk I saw a group on the 
lawn before the palace, which to my mind was a vision of 
exquisite loveliness. The Duchess of Kent and her daugh- 
ter, whose years then numbered nine, are breakfasting in the 
open air — a single page attending upon them at a respectful 
distance ; the matron looking on with eyes of love, whilst the 
fair, soft English face is bright with smiles. What a beauti- 
ful characteristic it seemed to me of the training of this royal 
girl, that she should not have been taught to shrink from the 
public eye ; that she should not have been burdened with a 
premature conception of her probable high destiny; that she 
should enjoy the freedom and simplicity of a child's nature ; 
that she should not be restrained when she starts up from the 
breakfast-table and runs to gather a flower in the adjoining 
parterre ; that her merry laugh should be as fearless as the 
notes of the thrush in the groves around her. I passed on, 
and blessed her ; and I thank God that I have lived to see 
the golden fruits of such training." 

A tender consideration for others was inculcated systemat- 
ically upon the young Princess, and the effects of it were 
manifest through her whole life. 

Considering the principles in which she was reared, there 
was no wonder that the Princess developed from a dutiful 
daughter into a loving wife, a vigilant mother, a kind mis- 




Queen Victoria at Eighteen. 




Queen Vjctoria at 78. 



victoria's favorite amusements. 21 

tress, a generous benefactor, and an exemplary Christian. 
She had been schooled in habits of sobriety and religion, and 
the sentiments of obedience and self-control, which were from 
the first impressed upon her, bore their legitimate fruit in 
after-life. 

The Princess was an excellent singer, and had for her 
master the famous Lablache. She was also a good dancer, 
and excelled in archery. But of all out-door exercises she 
was most passionately fond of that of riding. She was much 
devoted to the animals that bore her, from a favorite donkey 
presented to her by her uncle, the Duke of York, to the pony 
which carried her in her latest Highland excursions. 

" The sweet spring of the Princess's life was dedicated to 
the sowing of all precious seeds of knowledge, and the cul- 
tivation of all elegant acquirements ; in the midst of in- 
digenous flowers which everywhere sought her eager eye, im- 
parting the sportive gladness of the ever-gay butterfly to her 
youthful spirit, just awakened into this beautiful world — a 
reflection of Paradise ! The heavenward lark was also in that 
infant bosom, for, young as she was, she sang with sweetness 
and taste." The Princess had a ready wit. On one occasion 
her teacher had been reading her the story of Cornelia, 
the mother of the Gracchi — how she proudly presented her 
sons to the first of Roman ladies, with the words, ** These are 
my jewels." "She should have said, *my Cornelians,'" im- 
mediately remarked the Princess. Of course the " divinity 
that doth hedge a king " extends in popular eyes in some 
degree to a princess, and the people are apt only to look on 
the roseate side. But none knows better than the Queen 
herself that human nature is a complex thing, and that how- 
ever much we may desire perfection, there is a good deal of 



22 DEATH OF THE DUKE OF YORK. 

the old leaven of imperfection in every one. So the Princess 
Victoria, noble in character as she was, exhibited some of 
those imperfections which no child is without. The Princess 
was impulsive, sometimes not a little willful and imperious ; 
but the affections being strong and the head well trained, 
these matters always righted themselves, and the young 
offender was herself quick to acknowledge the wrong. She 
had an ingrained sense of justice which could always redress 
the balance. 

The first grief which the Princess was able to appreciate 
to the full arose from the death of the Duke of York. The 
Princess was at this time in her eighth year, and as she had 
ever experienced great kindness and affection at the hands 
of her uncle, his loss affected her keenly. The Duke of York 
and the Duchess of Clarence were the two members of the 
royal family toward whom her youthful heart was most 
strongly drawn out. At the time of the Duke's death she 
was unconscious that his demise brought her one step nearer 
the throne. 

The gayeties of Court life were first brought within the 
actual apprehension of the future Queen in 1828, when she 
was in her tenth year. At a Drawing Room held during the 
season the Princess had an opportunity of observing how a 
queen but little older than herself was received with royal 
honors at the Court of George IV. This young sovereign 
was Donna Maria da Gloria, Queen of Portugal. The two 
children had previously exchanged some formal State visits, 
but official etiquette did not admit of a close intimacy. The 
first occasion on which the Princess Victoria danced in public 
was at a juvenile ball given by the King to Donna Maria. 
The young Queen presented an appearance of great splendor, 



PORTRAITS OF THE PRINCESS VICTORIA. 23 

for her dress blazed with all the jewels of the Portuguese 
crown ; she was surrounded by her Court, and was led to the 
ball-room by the hand of the King himself. Little Victoria 
was dazzled by so much magnificence, but, as a chronicler 
of the scene remarks, " the elegant simplicity of the attire 
and manners of the British heiress formed a strong contrast 
to the glare and glitter around the precocious queen. These 
royal young ladies danced in the same quadrille, and though 
the performance of Donna Maria was greatly admired, all 
persons of refined taste gave the preference to the modest 
graces of the English-bred Princess." 

The portraits of the Princess Victoria, executed during her 
infancy and childhood, are somewhat numerous. Sir William 
Beechey painted a picture in oil, representing the Duchess 
seated on a sofa upon which her young daughter stood be- 
side her, and this painting is in the possession of the King of 
the Belgians. Turnerelli, the sculptor, executed an excellent 
bust of the Princess when she was in her third year, and in 
1827 Mr. Behnes produced a marble bust, which is now in 
one of the corridors of Windsor Castle. It was justly re- 
garded as one of the most beautiful specimens of sculpture 
ever exhibited in the British schools of art, the likeness being 
perfect, the features delicately portrayed, and the expression 
admirable. Mr. Fowler, an artist of Ramsgate, executed two 
portraits of the Princess, one in her ninth year. Mr. Westall, 
R. A., painted a trustworthy full-length portrait of the Prin- 
cess as she appeared when in her twelfth year. 

It was not until the spring of 1830 that the Princess Vic- 
toria became aware of her nearness to the British throne. 
One account states that she was reading English history with 
her governess, the Baroness Lehzen, and in the presence of 



24 NEARNESS TO THE THRONE. 

her mother when some question arose in connection with the 
succession to the crown. The point had probably been pur- 
posely suggested. Her Royal Highness studied her genea- 
logical table for some time ; and the account thus proceeds, 
the discussion being opened by a question from the Princess : 

^* In the event of the death of the King, my uncle, who 
would be the presumptive successor to the throne ?" 

The Baroness parried the question by the reply: "The 
Duke of Clarence will succeed on the death of the present 
King." 

** Yes," said the Princess, " that I know ; but who will suc- 
ceed him ?" 

The governess, who saw the bearing of the inquiry, hesi- 
tated a moment, and then, answered, " Princess, you have sev- 
eral uncles !" 

Her Royal Highness now became agitated ; the color rose 
rapidly to her cheek, and she observed with much serious- 
ness, " True, I have ; but I perceive here," pointing to her 
table, " that my papa was next in age to my uncle Clarence ; 
and it does appear to me, from what I have just been reading, 
that when he and the present King are both dead, I shall 
become Queen of England !" 

The Baroness looked silently toward the mother of the 
Princess, who, after a short pause, replied to the following 
effect : 

" We are continually looking forward, my beloved child, in 
the hope that your dear aunt, the Duchess of Clarence, may 
yet give birth to living children. Should it please God, how- 
ever, that this be not the case, and that you are spared to the 
period, very distant I trust, which terminates the valuable 
lives of our revered Sovereign and the Duke of Clarence, 




ROYAL BOUDOIR. 




ROYAL BED-ROOM. 



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The Prince of Wales 

In Royal Attire. 



THE REGENCY BILL MASSED. 27 

you will indeed, by the established laws of our country, be- 
come their undoubted successor. Should this event — at 
present too remote and uncertain to engage our attention, 
further than to stimulate our endeavors so to form your mind 
as to render you not unworthy so high a destiny — should 
this event indeed occur, may you prove a blessing to your 
country and an ornament to the throne you are called to 
fill!" 

When William IV ascended the throne in 1830, it became 
necessary to provide for the contingency of the Princess 
Victoria's accession before attaining the age of eighteen, that 
being the period of her majority. A Regency Bill was intro- 
duced by Lord Lyndhurst, but a change of Government 
occurring before it was carried, it devolved upon Lord 
Brougham, the Lord Chancellor in Lord Grey's Administra- 
tion, to take up and adopt the measure. The position was a 
singular one, because Parliament had to contemplate the 
possibility that William IV might die leaving a posthumous 
child. Lord Brougham could not find a parallel case in Eng- 
lish history since the death of Geoffrey, son of Henry II, who 
left a son, Prince Arthur, whose claims were thrust aside by 
the usurpation of King John. The possibility of posthumous 
issue in William's case having been provided for, the Bill 
passed both houses and became law. The Duchess of Kent 
was named guardian of the infant Princess and Regent of the 
kingdom, but she was to be assisted by a Council of Regency 
drawn from the royal family and the Ministers of State. Some 
months afterward further provision was made for the educa- 
tion and maintenance of the Princess, and for the support of 
her honor and dignity as heiress presumptive — ;^ 10,000 a 
year was voted, in addition to the annual grant of ;^6,ooo. 



28 FIRST APPEARANCE AT COURT. 

The Princess Victoria's first appearance at Court during 
the new reign was made at the celebration of Queen Ade- 
laide's birthday, on the 24th of February, 1831. The draw- 
ing-room held by her Majesty was stated to have been the 
most magnificent witnessed since that which signalized the 
presentation of the Princess Charlotte of Wales on the occa- 
sion of her marriage. The Princess Victoria stood on Queen 
Adelaide's left hand. Her dress was made entirely of articles 
made in the United Kingdom. She wore a frock of English 
blonde over white satin, a pearl necklace, and a rich diamond 
agrafe fastened the Madonna braids of her fair hair at the 
back of her head. She was the object of interest and admira- 
tion on the part of all assembled. The scene was one of the 
most splendid ever remembered, and the future Queen of 
England contemplated all that passed with much dignity, but 
with evident enjoyment. 

When King William prorogued his first Parliament an in- 
teresting circumstance occurred, which caused much enthusi- 
asm amongst those who witnessed it. Queen Adelaide and 
the princesses witnessed the spectacle of the royal State pro- 
cession. The people cheered the Queen lustily, but, forget- 
ting herself, that gracious lady took the young Princess Vic- 
toria by the hand, led her to the front of the balcony, and in- 
troduced her to the happy and loyal multitude. In January, 
1 83 1, the Princess made her first appearance at the theatre, 
visiting Covent Garden, and thoroughly entering into the 
pleasures of the children's entertainment provided. 

The Duchess of Kent early familiarized her illustrious 
daughter with the features of her own country, interesting 
her in it by personal visits to its chief cities and towns. 

In the year 1833 the Duchess and her daughter took up 



A SOJOURN AT THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 29 

their residence at their beautiful seat of Norris Castle, Isle 
of Wight. Unembarrassed by the trammels of society, they 
were able to enjoy the delightful scenery of the islands, 
sometimes taking long walks and excursions alone. A 
tourist on one occasion strolled into the old churchyard at 
Arreton to search out the grave of Elizabeth Wallbridge, the 
heroine of Legh Richmond's popular religious story, The 
Dairyman! s Daughter. Beside a grassy mound he discovered 
a lady and a young girl seated, ** the latter reading aloud, in 
a full melodious voice, the touching tale of the Christian 
maiden." The tourist turned away, and soon afterward was 
told by the sexton that the pilgrims to that humble grave 
were the Duchess of Kent and the Princess Victoria. 

From Norris Castle the royal ladies made many marine 
excursions in the "Emerald" yacht. Southampton, Caris- 
brooke, and Winchester were visited ; while at Plymouth and 
Torquay minute attention was paid by the future Sovereign 
to the details of marine affairs. In acknowledging an address 
from the inhabitants of Torquay on the anniversary of one 
of England's great naval victories, the Duchess of Kent said : 
" It has ever been my pride to lead the Princess to regard 
with warm feelings all the recollections that belong to this 
day in relation to the naval service of the country." And in 
replying to an address from Plymouth she referred with 
satisfaction to her residence in the Isle of Wight, which per- 
mitted her, as a part of the education of her daughter, to 
visit the coast and the great arsenal so associated with the 
naval renown of Britain. A providential escape from de- 
struction marked the Princess Victoria's homeward voyage 
from Eddystone to Norris Castle in the " Emerald " yacht. 
It seems that the vessel ran afoul of the *' Active " hulk, and 



30 ESCAPE FROM DEATH. 

the mainmast of the "Emerald" being sprung, her sail 
and a piece of heavy wood were detached. The pilot, Mr. 
Saunders, quick as thought sprang to where the Princess 
was standing, lifted her in his arms to a more safe position 
further aft, and the next moment, crash ! came the topmast 
down where the Princess had ariginally stationed herself. | 
But for the prompt action of Mr. Saunders she must have f 
been crushed to death. Her Royal Highness bore herself 
with calmness while the event was passing, but after fully 
perceiving her imminent danger she burst into tears, and 
thanked her preserver with artless grace for his great pres- 
ence of mind. The pilot was promoted to a master, and 
when the Princess became Queen of England he was invited 
to Court. On the death of Mr. Saunders, moreover, the 
Queen made provision for his wife and family. 

After the return to Kensington Palace the Princess suffered 
from a severe attack of illness. For some time preceding 
her fifteenth birthday she looked pale and languid, and the 
violent changes of temperature subjected her to the only 
serious indisposition she had hitherto experienced. She soon 
recovered her health, however, and was able to accompany 
King William and Queen Adelaide to the Grand Musical 
Festival in Westminster Abbey, when she was greeted with 
enthusiasm and affection by the loyal crowds which had 
assembled on the occasion. 

The Ascot races of June, 1835, were witnessed by a bril- 
liant gathering. On the principal day the Princess Victoria 
made her first appearance on a race-course with the royal 
family. 

The uniforms of the soldiery, and the magnificent attire 
of the ladies of rank and fashion, who attended in their 



PRINCESS VICTORIA CONFIRMED. 3I 

thousands, combined with the glorious summer day, gave 
eclat to a scene never to be forgotten. The Princess was 
then just sixteen, not very tall in stature as yet, but glowing 
with youth, health, and happiness. Her hair, which appeared 
of an almost flaxen hue, was braided in what were known as 
, Clotilde bands, the ancient style worn by the Plantagenet 
queens, and it became the Princess's contour of face exceed- 
ingly well. For costume she wore a large pink bonnet and 
a rose-colored satin dress, broche, with a pelerine cape 
trimmed with black lace. Though the cynosure of all eyes, 
it is stated that the Princess seemed much more delighted at 
any expression of loyalty bestowed on her royal uncle, the 
King, than by all the intoxicating applause lavishly accorded 
to herself. 

On the 30th of August, 1835, the Princess Victoria was 
confirmed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, assisted by the 
Bishop of London, in the Chapel Royal, St. James's. In addi- 
tion to the Princess and the Duchess of Kent, only the King, 
Queen Adelaide, and the Duchess of Saxe-Weimar, with 
some other members of the royal family were present. 
The scene was very touching. We read that the young 
Princess exhibited great marks of sensibility during the beau- 
tiful and pathetic exhortation in which the Archbishop repre- 
sented to her the great responsibility attaching to her high 
station ; and when he spoke of the struggle she must prepare 
for between the world and Heaven, and, above all, of the 
absolute necessity of her looking up to the King of kings for 
counsel and support in all the trials that awaited her, her com- 
posure gradually gave way, till at length she was bathed in 
tears, and, unable to subdue the violence of her emotion, she 
laid her head upon her mother's shoulder and sobbed aloud. 



32 VICTORIA ATTAINS HER MAJORITY. 

The Duchess of Kent was scarcely less affected, while the 
King and Queen were also much moved. 

The Princess Victoria attained her legal majority on the 
24th of May, 1837, being then eighteen years of age. She 
was serenaded at Kensington Palace, at seven in the morn- 
ing, by a band of thirty-seven vocal and instrumental per- 
formers in full dress. Her Royal Highness sat at one of the 
windows during the performance of the concert, and she 
graciously requested the repetition of one of the songs, 
which contained an allusion to her illustrious parent. The 
performance concluded with " God Save the King," in which 
the assembled spectators joined in full chorus. During the 
day many congratulatory visits were paid to the Duchess of 
Kent and the Princess ; and amongst the birthday gifts to 
her Royal Highness was a magnificent grand pianoforte, of 
the value of 200 guineas, from the King. 

The royal birthday was observed as a holiday in London, 
and neither House of Parliament sat. A grand State Ball 
was given at St. James's Palace, at which a brilliant party 
assembled to do honor to her Royal Highness ; but the King 
and Queen were absent on account of the severe indisposi- 
tion of the former. At this ball the Princess Victoria for the 
first time took precedence of her mother, occupying the cen- 
tral chair of State, supported by the Duchess of Kent and 
the Princess Augusta. The metropolis was brilliantly illumi- 
nated in the evening, and the happy event was likewise cele- 
brated in various parts of the country by demonstrations of 
public rejoicing. 

The Queen's last appearance at Court as Princess Victoria 
was at the drawing-room in honor of the King's birthday, 
May 29th, 1837; and shortly afterward she made her final 



PRINCESS S LAST APPEARANCE. ^^ 

appearance in public as heiress presumptive at the memora- 
ble charity ball given at the Opera House for the benefit of 
the Spitalfields weavers. Her life as Princess thus closed 
with a charitable act, and she had the satisfaction of knowing 
that the terrible sufferings which afflicted the poor in the East 
End were soon afterward alleviated. 

We have now come to the parting of the ways. The life 
of the Princess has been traced from her birth, and through 
her childhood and girlhood, up to the verge of womanhood. 
She had grown up a fair and graceful type of the English 
maiden, and notwithstanding her high destiny she had been 
reared in the paths of duty and of self-sacrifice. Who knows 
not how to serve, knows not how to govern. The people 
owed a debt of gratitude to the Duchess of Kent for the 
admirable all-round training she gave her child. None knew 
of the nearness of that blow which was soon to fall upon the 
Royal House, removing the King from the midst of his sub- 
jects; but that his successor was prepared for her lofty posi- 
tion whenever he should be called away, was due to that 
constant teaching and supervision which had nourished her 
soul in rectitude and in affectionate solicitude for the welfare 
of the people. 



CORONATION 

AT 

WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 
CHAPTER II. 

THE illness which prevented King William IV. from tak- 
ing part in the birthday festivities of the Princess Vic- 
toria developed rapidly towards the close of the month of May. 
His Majesty exhibited signs of great debility and exhaustion, 
with oppression of breathing ; and he had lost the power of 
walking. Preparations had been made to convey him to 
Brighton for change of air early in June, but these had to be 
abandoned. On the 9th he experienced some relief from the 
most distressing symptoms, and transacted business with Sir 
Herbert Taylor. All who came in contact with the King ob- 
served how his illness had refined him and made him gentle and 
resigned. Indeed, his unwearied patience and cheerfulness 
excited the admiration and astonishment of all who had oppor- 
tunity of witnessing them. All his sailor-like bluntness of 
speech had disappeared. On the morning of the i6th he 
observed to the Queen : " I have had some quiet sleep ; come 
and pray with me, and thank the Almighty for it." When 
the King's devotions were over, the Queen said: "And shall 
I not pray to the Almighty that you may have a good day ? " 
To which his majesty replied : " Oh, do ! I wish I could live 
ten years for the sake of my country. I feel it my duty to 
keep well as long as I can." 

(34) 




The German Emperor and the Crown Prince, 
Grandson and Great Grandson of Queen Victoria. 




tn «2 



0^5 



o S >. 



THE KING STRICKEN DOWN. 37 

By Sunday, the i8th, the King's illness had become so 
alarming that only a Jfatal result could be apprehended. 
Nevertheless, he transacted official business, and his last act 
of sovereignty was to sign a free pardon to a condemned 
criminal. Shortly afterwards the Archbishop of Canterbury 
attended, and administered the sacrament to the King and 
Queen, the former appearing calm and collected, and his atti- 
tude being one of humility and gratitude to God. Early on 
the morning of this day the King had remembered that it was 
the anniversary of the battle of Waterloo, and he had said to 
Dr. Chambers : " Let me but live over this memorable day ; I 
shall never live to see another sunset." Dr. Chambers 
answered : " I hope your Majesty may live to see many." 
To which the King replied in a phrase which he commonly 
employed : " Oh ! that is quite another thing." When he 
awoke on the morning of the 19th the King remarked to the 
Queen, " I shall get up once more to do the business of the 
country ; " and as he was wheeled in his chair from the bed- 
room to the dressing-room, he looked with a gracious smile 
on the Queen's attendants, who were standing in tears near 
the door, and said, "God bless you ! " and waved his hand. 
When the Archbishop came and read the Service for the 
Sick, and the Articles of Faith, the King, though much ex- 
hausted, enunciated with distinct and solemn emphasis the 
words, " All this I steadfastly believe." For the first time the 
Queen was now overpowered by the weight of her affliction. 
The King perceived her emotion, and said in a tone of en- 
couragement, " Bear up, bear up." Once or twice during the 
day he raised his eyes and exclaimed : " Thy will be done." 
When the Archbishop left him for the last time he said to the 
King : " My best prayers are offered up for your Majesty ; " 



38 THE KING IS DEAD. 

whereupon the dying monarch replied, with feeble yet distinct 
utterance : " Believe me, I am a religious man." At twelve 
minutes past two on the morning of the 20th, the King passed 
away, leaving behind him the memory of a sovereign who was 
just and upright, while as a man he was a sincere friend, a 
forgiving enemy, and a gracious and indulgent master. His 
defects were mainly surface defects, and these were forgotten 
in the wide and genuine tribute called forth by his sterling 
virtues. 

The King is dead ! God save the Queen ! To the veteran 
of three score and ten has succeeded the maiden of eighteen. 
The manner in which the young Sovereign received the news 
of her accession is extremely interesting. The Archbishop 
of Canterbury and the Lord Chamberlain left Windsor im- 
mediately after the King's death, posting to Kensington 
Palace, to inform the Princess Victoria of the melancholy 
event. They did not reach Kensington until five o'clock in 
the morning. They knocked, they rang, they thumped for a 
considerable time before they could rouse the porter at the 
gate. They were again kept waiting in the courtyard, then 
turned into one of the lower rooms, where they seemed for- 
gotten by everybody. They rang the bell, and desired that 
the attendant of the Princess Victoria might be sent to inform 
her Royal Highness that they desired an audience on business 
of importance. After another delay and another ringing to 
inquire the cause, the attendant was summoned, who stated 
that the Princess was in such a sweet sleep that she could not 
venture to disturb her. Then they said ; •* We are come on 
business of State to the Queen, and even her sleep must give 
way to that." It did ; and to prove that she did not keep 
them waiting, in a few minutes she came into the room in a 



VICTORIA RECEIVES THE NEWS. 39 

loose white nightgown and shawl, her nightcap thrown off, 
and her hair falling upon her shoulders, her feet in slippers, 
tears in her eyes, but perfectly collected and dignified. 

On being informed of her new dignity, the first words which 
the young Queen uttered were : " I ask your prayers on my 
behalf" They knelt down together, and Victoria inaugurated 
her reign, like the young King of Israel in the olden time, by 
asking from the Most High, who ruleth over the kingdoms 
of men, an understanding heart to judge so great a people. 

Another incident which redounds to the honor of the 
youthful Sovereign is recorded. The first act of her life as 
Queen was to write a letter, breathing the purest and ten- 
derest feelings of affection and condolence, to Queen Adelaide. 
Her manner of doing it evinced a spirit of generosity and 
consideration which obtained for her golden opinions every- 
where. Her Majesty wrote the letter spontaneously, and 
having finished it, folded and addressed it to " Her Majesty 
the Queen." Some one in her presence, who had a right to 
make the remark, noticing this, mentioned that the super- 
scription was not correct, and that the letter ought to be ad- 
dressed to '* Her Majesty the Queen Dowager." " I am quite 
aware," said Queen Victoria, '* of her Majesty's altered char- 
acter ; but I will not be the first person to remind her of it." 

The Queen's first Privy Council was held at Kensington 
Palace on the morning of the 21st. Her extreme youth and 
inexperience, and the ignorance of the world concerning her, 
naturally excited intense curiosity to see how she would act 
on this trying occasion, and there was a considerable assem- 
blage at the Palace, notwithstanding the short notice which 
was given. The first thing to be done was to teach her her 
lesson, which for this purpose Melbourne had himself to learn. 



40 FIRST PRIVY COUNCIL. 

Melbourne asked the Queen if she would enter the room 
accompanied by the great officers of State, but she said she 
would go in alone. When the lords were assembled, the Lord 
President informed them of the King's death, and suggested, 
as they were so numerous, that a few of them should repair 
to the presence of the Queen and inform her of the event, 
and that their lordships were assembled in consequence ; and 
accordingly the two Royal Dukes of Cumberland and Sussex, 
the two Archbisops, the Lord Chancellor, and Melbourne, 
went with him. The Queen received them in the adjoining 
room alone. As soon as they had returned, the proclamation 
was read, and the usual order passed. When the doors were 
thrown open and the Queen entered, accompanied by her 
two uncles, who advanced to meet her, she was quite plainly 
dressed, and in mourning. The Queen bowed to the lords 
took her seat, and then, in a clear, distinct, and audible voice, 
and without any appearance of fear or embarrassment, she 
read the following declaration to the Council : 

"The severe and afflicting loss which the nation has sus- 
tained by the death of his Majesty, my beloved uncle, has 
devolved upon me the duty of administering the government 
of this empire. This aVful responsibility is imposed upon 
me so suddenly, and at so early a period of my life, that I 
should feel myself utterly oppressed by the burden, were I 
not sustained by the hope that Divine Providence, which has 
called me to this work, will give me strength for the perform- 
ance of it, and that I shall find in the purity of my intentions, 
and in my zeal for the public welfare, that support and those 
resources which usually belong to a more mature age and to 
long experience. 

** I place my firm reliance upon the wisdom of Parliament, 
and upon the loyalty and affection of my people. I esteem it 




Queen Victoria's Throne. 



THE QUEEN S PROCLAMATION. 4 1 

also a peculiar advantage, that I succeed to a Sovereign whose 
constant regard for the rights and liberties of his subjects, and 
whose desire to promote the amelioration of the laws and 
institutions of the country, have rendered his name the object 
of general attachment and veneration. 

•' Educated in England, under the tender and enlightened 
care of a most affectionate mother, I have learned from my 
infancy to respect and love the Constitution of my native 
country. 

" It will be my unceasing study to maintain the Reformed 
religion as by law estabHshed, securing at the same time to 
all the full enjoyment of religious liberty ; and I shall steadily 
protect the rights and promote to the utmost of my power the 
happiness and welfare of all classes of my subjects." 

After she had read her speech and taken and signed the 
oath for the security of the Church of Scotland, the Privy 
Councillors were sworn, the two Royal Dukes first, by them- 
selves; and as these two old men, her uncles, knelt before 
her, swearing allegiance, and kissing her hand, I saw her 
blush up to the eyes, as if she felt the contrast between their 
civil and their natural relations, and this was the only sign 
of emotion which she evinced. Her manner to them was 
very graceful and engaging : she kissed them both, and rose 
from her chair, and moved towards the Duke of Sussex, who 
was farthest from her, and too infirm to reach her. 

She seemed rather bewildered at the multitude of men who 
were sworn, and who came one after another to kiss her hand, 
but she did not speak to anybody, nor did she make the 
slightest difference in her manner, or show any in her counte- 
nance, to any individual of rank, station, or party. I particu- 
larly watched her when Melbourne and the Ministers and the 
Duke of Wellington and Peel approached her. She went 
3 



42 VICTORIA PROCLAIMED QUEEN. 

through the whole ceremony — occasionally looking at Mel- 
bourne for instruction when she had any doubt what to do, 
which hardly ever occurred — with perfect calmness and self- 
possession. 

The Princess Victoria was formally proclaimed Queen of 
Great Britain and Ireland on the 21st of June, from St. James's 
Palace. Long before the hour fixed for the ceremony all the 
avenues to the palace were crowded, every balcony, window, 
and elevated position being filled with spectators. The space 
in the quadrangle, in front of the window at which her Majesty 
was to appear, was crowded with ladies and gentlemen, and 
even the parapets above were filled with people. The great 
Irish agitator, O'Connell, in the front line opposite the windows, 
attracted considerable attention by waving his hat and cheering 
most vehemently. 

The guns in the park fired a salute at ten o'clock, and 
immediately afterwards the Queen made her appearance at 
the window of the Presence Chamber. 

She stood between Lords Melbourne and Lansdowne, and 
was received with deafening cheery. Her mother also, who 
was close behind her, received most cordial plaudits. The 
Queen looked very fatigued and pale, but returned the 
repeated cheers with which she was greeted with remarkable 
ease and dignity. She was dressed in deep mourning, with 
a white tippet, white cuffs, and a border of white lace under 
a small black bonnet, which was placed far back on her head, 
exhibiting her light hair in front simply parted over her fore- 
head. The Queen and the Duchess of Kent regarded the 
proceedings with much interest. As her Majesty appeared 
at the window the band of the Royal Guards struck up the 
National Anthem. On its conclusion, Sir William Woods, 



GOD SAVE THE QUEEN. 43 

acting for the Garter King-at-Arms, and accompanied by the 
Duke of Norfolk as Earl Marshal of England, read aloud the 
proclamation containing the official announcement of the death 
of King William IV., and of the consequent accession of Queen 
Victoria to the throne of these realms. The proclamation was 
as follows : 

"Whereas it has pleased Almighty God to call to His 
mercy our late sovereign lord, King William the Fourth, of 
blessed and glorious memory, by whose decease the imperial 
crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is 
solely and rightfully come to the high and mighty Princess 
Alexandrina Victoria (saving the rights of any issue of his late 
Majesty King William the Fourth which may be born of his 
late Majesty's consort) : We, therefore, the lords spiritual and 
temporal of this realm, being here assisted with those of his 
late Majesty's Privy Council, with numbers of others, princi- 
pally gentlemen of quality, with the Lord Mayor, aldermen, 
and citizens of London, do now hereby, with one voice and 
consent of tongue and heart, publish and proclaim that the 
high and mighty Princess Alexandrina Victoria is now, by the 
death of our late Sovereign of happy memory, become our 
only lawful and rightful liege lady, Victoria, by the grace of 
God, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ire- 
land, Defender of the Faith, saving as aforesaid : To whom, 
saving as aforesaid, we do acknowledge all faith and constant 
obedience, with all hearty and humble affection, beseeching 
God, by whom kings and queens do reign, to bless the royal 
Princess Victoria with long and happy years to reign over us. 
God save the Queen ! " 

While the proclamation was being read there was consider- 
able movement among the crowd, who continued to cheer and 
cry, " God save the Queen ! " 

Her Majesty stood during the whole rehearsal of the pro- 



44 AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE. 

clamation. She was deeply affected at the acclamations which 
rent the air, and was observed to shed tears. 

One result of the Queen's accession escaped without com- 
ment in almost all the journals. The descent of the English 
crown to a female necessitated the separation from it of the 
kingdom of Hanover, which, according to Salic law, passed to 
the Queen's uncle, Ernest, Duke of Cumberland. 

Her Majesty's first assumption of royalty in the Council 
Chamber at Kensington Palace formed the subject of a his- 
torical picture by Sir David Wilkie. In that picture the 
" Maiden Queen " is seen at the head of the table, while at 
the foot, facing her, is the Duke of Sussex in his black velvet 
skull-cap. Other noticeable figures in the group are those 
of the great Chancellor Lyndhurst ; Brougham, the clever and 
indiscreet, with his restless features ceaselessly in action ; and 
the Duke of Wellington. 

The Queen took up her residence at Buckingham Palace 
on the 13th of July, and four days later she went in State to 
dissolve Parliament. An immense concourse of persons wit- 
nessed the procession, and the cheering all along the route 
was most deafening. As she entered the house all the peers 
and peeresses present rose at the flourish of trumpets, and 
remained standing. Her Majesty was attired in a splendid 
white satin robe, with the ribbon of the Garter crossing her 
shoulder, and a magnificent tiara of diamonds on her head, 
and a necklace and stomacher of large and costly brilliants. 
When she had ascended the throne and taken her seat, Lord 
Melbourne, who stood close to her right hand, whispered to 
her that it was customary to desire the peers and the peeresses 
to be seated ; whereupon her Majesty, in rather a low voice, 
and bowing condescendingly, said, *' My lords, be seated." 




Albert Edward, Prince op Wales. 




Marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Aliiert at St. James Palace, Feb. io, 

1840. 



PARLIAMENT DISSOLVED. 45 

The usual formalities havingr been gone through, the Queen 
read her first speech from the throne. The closing passages 
of this document, which breathed of the constitutional spirit 
that has marked the whole course of her Majesty's reign, ran 
as follows : 

** I ascend the throne with a deep sense of the responsibility 
which is imposed upon me ; but I am supported by the con- 
sciousness of my own right intentions, and by my dependence 
upon the protection of Almighty God. It will be my care to 
strengthen our institutions, civil and ecclesiastical, by discreet 
improvement wherever improvement is required, and to do 
all in my power to compose and allay animosity and discord. 
Acting upon these principles, I shall upon all occasions look 
with confidence to the wisdom of Parliament and the affections 
of my people, which form the true support of the dignity of 
the Crown, and ensure the stability of the Constitution." 

Her Majesty read the speech deliberately, and with a sweet 
voice which was heard all over the House, while a natural 
grace and modest self-possession characterized her demeanor. 
Fanny Kemble, who was present on this historic occasion, thus 
wrote concerning its central figure: "The Queen was not 
handsome, but very pretty, and the singularity of her great 
position lent a sentimental and poetic charm to her youthful 
face and figure. The serene, serious sweetness of her candid 
brow and clear soft eyes gave dignity to the girlish counten- 
ance; while the want of height only added to the effect of 
extreme youth of the round but slender person, and gracefully 
moulded hands and arms. The Queen's voice was exquisite, 
nor have I ever heard any spoken words more musical in their 
gentle distinctness than " My Lords and Gentlemen," which 
broke the breathless silence of the illustrious assembly, whose 



46 FIRST DEATH WARRANT. 

gaze was riveted on that fair flower of royalty. The enuncia- 
tion was as perfect as the intonation was melodious, and I 
think it is impossible to hear a more excellent utterance than 
that of the Queen's English by the English Queen." 

Soon after her Majesty's accession she was called upon to 
sign her first death-warrant. It was presented to her by the 
Duke of Wellington, and concerned a deserter who had been 
condemned to death by court-martial. The Queen, with tears 
in her eyes, asked, '' Have you nothing to say in behalf of this 
man?" 

"Nothing; he has deserted three times," replied the Duke. 

*'Oh, your Grace, think again !" 

"Well, your Majesty," said the brave veteran, "though he 
is certainly a very bad soldier, some v/itnesses spoke for his 
character, and, for aught I know to the contrary, he may be a 
good many 

"Oh, thank you for that a thousand times!" exclaimed the 
Queen ; and writing " pardoned " on the paper, she pushed 
it across the table to the Duke, her hand trembling with 
emotion. 

Another anecdote also deserves to be recorded. It was 
told by Lord Melbourne. Immediately she was in a position 
to do so, she said to the Prime Minister : " I want to pay all 
that remain of my father's debts. I must do it. I consider 
it a sacred duty." Lord Melbourne said that the earnestness 
and directness of that good daughter's manner, when speaking 
of her father, brought the tears into his eyes. The Duke of 
Kent had not had a very large allowance, considering his 
position and his natural generosity, , which caused him to 
contribute beyond his means to excellent institutions of all 



POPULAR WITH ALL CLASSES. 47 

kinds. However, the Queen never rested until all his liabili- 
ties had been conscientiously discharged. 

The Queen was exceedingly popular with all classes. At 
one time, when some foolish person talked of deposing " the 
all but infant Queen " and putting the Duke of Cumberland 
in her place, O'Connell said: "If necessary, I can get 500,000 
brave Irishmen to defend the life, the honor, and the person 
of the beloved young lady by whom England's throne is now 
filled." Occasionally the devotion of her admirers was some- 
what embarrassing. This was especially so in the case of a 
gentleman who, for some time before the Queen left Ken- 
sington Palace, labored under the delusion that he was one 
day destined to marry her Majesty. His attentions became 
very annoying, and on' one occasion he actually succeeded in 
writing his name in the visiting-book, only to be erased, how- 
ever, as soon as the autograph v/as discovered. Although a 
gentleman of means, he would actively assist the workmen in 
weeding the piece of water in Kensington Gardens, in the 
hope of obtaining a sight of her Majesty ; and every evening 
he would wait in his phaeton in the Uxbridge Road until the 
Queen's carriage appeared in sight, when he would follow it 
in whatever direction it might proceed. 

On the 22nd of August the Queen removed with her Court 
to Windsor Castle, where a week later she received her uncle 
the King of the Belgians and his consort, Queen Louise. 
Later in the autumn her Majesty visited Brighton, returning 
to London on the 4th of November. 

There was a magnificent pageant on the occasion of her 
first visit to the City as Queen, on Lord Mayor's Day, the 
9th of November. A general holiday was observed that day 
in London, and crowds of persons assembled along the whole 



48 queen's visit to LONDON. 

route from Buckingham Palace to the Guildhall. The Queen 
sat in the royal state carriage, attended by the Duchess of 
Sutherland as Mistress of the Robes, and the Earl of Albe- 
marle as Master of the Horse. Her Majesty wore a splendid 
pink satin robe shot with silver, her hair encompassed with a 
splendid tiara; and she looked the picture of health. As the 
procession filed along the Strand the church bells rang forth 
merrily, and mingling with their peals enthusiastic cheers came 
from thousands of human voices. Rows of national flags 
and heraldic banners were stretched across the thoroughfare 
at several points, and busts and portraits of the Queen were 
placed in conspicuous positions. Her Majesty, who was in 
high spirits, acknowledged the continuous greetings of her 
subjects in the most gracious manner. 

Temple Bar was a point of great interest, for here the City 
bounds began. The Lord Mayor and sheriffs, with the alder- 
men, who had been accommodated in Messrs. Childs' banking- 
house, proceeded to mount their chargers a little before two 
o'clock. 

When the arrival of the Queen was announced, the Lord 
Mayor dismounted, and taking the City sword in his hand, 
stood on the south side of Temple Bar, Her Majesty's car- 
riage then drew up within the gateway, and the Lord Mayor 
presented the keys of the City to the Queen, which her 
Majesty, after keeping for a few moments, restored in a 
gracious manner. At this moment the multitude of specta- 
tors rent the air with their acclamations. The Lord Mayor 
remounted, and, holding the City sword aloft, took his place 
immediately before the royal carriage ; after which the alder- 
men, the members of the Common Council, and other civic 
authorities formed in procession. 



AT THE GiJILDfiALL. 49 

One of the most interesting episodes of the day occurred 
in front of St. Paul's Cathedral, where a booth had been 
erected for the accommodation of the boys of Christ's Hos- 
pital. The royal carriage stopped in the middle of the road 
opposite the cathedral gate, and a platform was wheeled out 
on which were Mr. F. G. Nash, senior scholar of Christ's 
Hospital, and the head-master and treasurer. The scholar, 
in conformity with an old usage, delivered an address of 
congratulation to her Majesty, concluding with an earnest 
prayer for her welfare. "God save the Queen" was then 
sung by the scholars and a great part of the other spectators. 
The Queen was much pleased with the proceedings, and in 
" subsequently returning his oration to Master Nash with her 
signature added, she wrote a note expressive of her appro- 
bation." 

On arriving at the Guildhall, whose rooms had been sumptu- 
ously fitted up and decorated, the Queen received the chief 
guests in the drawing-room. Another address was presented, 
and the dinner was announced. The Queen descended the 
hall preceded by the Lord Mayor, and was conducted by the 
Lord Chamberlain to the throne, the band playing, " O ! the 
roast beef of Old England." The dinner was much like other 
dinners for the viands, but one dish deserves special mention. 
This was a salmon, and the only one at the banquet. It had 
been caught in the River Tivy, near Kenarth, in the county 
of Carmarthen, by William Griffiths, a poor lame fisherman, 
who with unbounded loyalty sent it by the mail to the Lord 
Mayor, requesting that it might form part of the civic enter- 
tainment to the Queen. "The health of our Most Gracious 
Sovereign Queen Victoria" w^as drank amid loud applause, 
and in response the Queen rose and bowed several times very 



50 OPENING OF PARLIAMENT. 

affably to the company. Her dress attracted much attention. 
It was richly embroidered with silver ; and over her left shoul- 
der the Queen wore the riband of the Order of the Garter, 
with the George appended ; on her head she had a splendid 
diadem and circlet ; she also wore diamond earings, and had 
a stomacher of brilliants. 

At half-past eight o'clock a flourish of trumpets announced 
the arrival of the Queen s carriage. Her Majesty then left, 
and when she arrived at the carriage door she turned round 
to the Lord Mayor, who stood at the step, and said with a 
smile, " I assue you, my Lord Mayor, that I have been most 
highly gratified." She then warmly shook hands with the 
chief magistrate, and drove off amid ringing cheers. On the 
homeward route the royal carriage pulled up for a few min- 
utes at the end of Cheapside, where, under the direction of 
the Sacred Harmonic Society, several hundred voices sang 
" God save the Queen." 

Her Majesty opened her first Parliament on the 20th of 
November, her progress to the House being marked by the 
most loyal demonstrations. When she had ascended the 
throne in the House of Lords, she directed the Lord Chan- 
cellor to read the followino- declaration : 

" I, Victoria, &c., do solemnly and sincerely, in the presence 
of God, testify and declare that I do believe that in the Sacra- 
m.ent of the Lord's Supper there is not any transubstantiation 
of the elements of bread and wine into the body and blood of 
Christ, at or after the consecration thereof, by any person 
whatsoever ; and that the invocation or adoration of the Virgin 
Mary, or any other saint, and the sacrifice of the Mass, as they 
are now used in the Church of Rome, are superstitious and 
idolatrous. And I do solemnly, in the presence of God, pro- 
fess, testify, and declare, that I do make this declaration, and 



OUEEN*S ANNUAL iNCQMfi. ^t 

every part thereof, in the plain and ordinary sense of the 
words read unto me, as they are commonly understood by 
English Protestants, without any evasion, equivocation, or 
mental reservation whatsoever, and without any dispensation 
already granted me for this purpose by the Pope, or any other 
authority or person whatsoever, and without thinking that I 
am or can be acquitted before God and man, or absolved of 
this declaration, or any part thereof, although the Pope, or 
any other person or persons or power whatsoever, shall dis- 
pense with or annul the same, or declare that it was null and 
void from the beginning." 

The question of the Civil List was settled by Parliament 
this session. The Queen placed unreservedly in the hands 
of Parliament the hereditary revenues transferred to the pub- 
lic by her immediate predecessor. In the House of Commons 
the Chancellor of the Exchequer pointed out that, whilst 
former Sovereigns had inherited considerable personal pro- 
perty, Queen Victoria had not done so, and would further be 
deprived of the revenues of Hanover, which had now become 
a separate kingdom. The sum of ;^385,ooo was therefore 
voted as the annual income of the Sovereign. At the sugges- 
tion of the Queen, Parliament also voted an additional grant 
of ^8,000 a year to the income of the Duchess of Kent, thus 
raising it to _;^3o,ooo per annum. 

The Queen entered fully into all business matters brought 
before her by the Prime Minister. She would know the why 
and the wherefore of everything. Indeed, one authority says 
that Melbourne was heard to declare that he would rather 
have ten kings to manage than one queen. He could not 
place a single document in her Majesty's hand for signature 
but she first asked an infinite variety of questions respecting 
it, and she not unfrequently ended her interrQgatories by de- 



52 THE QUEEN AND MELBOURNE. 

dining to put her name to the paper in question until she had 
taken further time to consider its merits. The Premier on a 
certain occasion had submitted an Act of Government for her 
Majesty's approval, and was proceeding to urge its expediency, 
when he was thus stopped short by the Queen : 

" I have been taught, my lord, to judge between what is 
right, and what is wrong ; but expediency is a word which I 
neither wish to hear nor to understand." 

Again, when Melbourne was anxious to obtain the Queen's 
signature to an important State document, he argued for it 
with all the force and eloquence at his command. But the 
Sovereign had resolved upon having further information be- 
fore affixing her signature. It was in vain that he explained 
and argued, and in the end, when he pleaded the paramount 
importance of the matter he was met by the reply : 

"It is with me a matter of paramount importance whether 
or not I attach my signature to a document with which I am 
not thoroughly satisfied." 

But the other side of the picture reveals the admirable re- 
lations existing between the Queen and her Minister. George 
Villiers told Greville that he had been exceedingly struck 
with Melbourne's manner to the Queen, and hers to him — his, 
so parental and anxious, but always so respectful and defer- 
ential ; hers, indicative of such entire confidence, such plea- 
sure in his society. " She is continually talking to him," con- 
tinues Greville, " let who will be there ; he always sits next 
her at dinner, and evidently by arrangement, because he al- 
ways takes in the lady-in-waiting, which necessarily places him 
next her, the etiquette being that the lady-in-waiting sits next 
but one to the Queen. It is not unnatural, and to him it is 
peculiarly interesting. I have no doubt he is passionately 




The Princess of Wales. 



INTENSE LOVE OF MUSIC. 53 

fond of her, as he might be of his daughter, if he had one, 
and the more because he is a man with a capacity for loving, 
without having anything in the world to love. It has become his 
province to educate, instruct, and form the most interesting 
mind and character in the world. JSTo occupation was ever 
more engrossing or involved greater responsibility. I have 
no doubt that Melbourne is both equal to and worthy of the 
task, and that it is fortunate she has fallen into his hands, and 
that he discharges this great duty wisely, honorably, and con- 
scientiously. It is a great proof of the discretion and purity 
of his conduct and behaviour that he is admired, respected, 
liked by all the Court." 

As soon as her Majesty's State duties were despatched, she 
occupied the time with music, reading, or drawing. She took 
great delight in Italian music, and also in the compositions of 
Handel, Haydn, Beethoven, and Mozart. To these was sub- 
sequently added Mendelssohn, who was also a favorite with 
the Prince Consort. Her voice was a mezzo-soprano o{ good 
tone, and her singing was excellent. Her talents for drawing 
were such that one of her masters said : " The Princess Vic- 
toria would have made the best female artist of the age if she 
had not been born to wear a crown." After she became 
Queen, she would frequently entertain her distinguished 
guests by singing in the drawing-room, after dinner, choice 
popular airs, in which she was accompanied by the Duchess 
of Kent on the piano. Some other personal details may be 
mentioned. As her Majesty has herself declared that " she 
is rather small for a Queen," we are emboldened to give her 
stature, which is just five feet two inches. But her carriage 
and imposing appearance always seem to indicate a consider- 
ably greater height. 



54 CORONATION DAY. 

But we must now pass on to the coronation, the great event 
of 1838, and the greatest spectacle of her Majesty's reign. 
Long before the day fixed for the ceremony the deepest in- 
terest was manifested in it. Amongst the proclamations 
issued was one declaring it to be the Queen's royal will and 
pleasure to dispense with, at her approaching coronation, all 
the ceremonies usually performed in Westminster Hall on 
such an occasion. These ceremonies included the entry of 
the Champion of England on horseback, whose right it was to 
throw down his gauntlet in defence of the Sovereign, challeng- 
ing any one to take it up. Another proclamation stated that 
the peers were to be relieved from doing homage in the usual 
fashion by kissing the left cheek ©f the Sovereign. One can 
imagine the girl-Queen's dismay if this ancient custom had 
been maintained in her case. For her royal uncles to kiss 
her cheek was only a natural proceeding, but that some six 
hundred spiritual and temporal peers should follow each 
other in kissing the Sovereign's left cheek would have been 
an appalling prospect. The old custom was for each peer, 
according to his rank and profession, singly to ascend the 
throne, to touch with his hand the crown on the Sovereien's 
head, and then to kiss her on her cheek. Though all the 
peers would no doubt have taken care to be present on such 
an interesting occasion, it cannot be matter of surprise that 
they were relieved from this and other onerous duties. 

The first issue of sovereigns bearing the impress of Queen 
Victoria took place on June 14th, but the bankers were only 
supplied with limited numbers, and could not gratify the whole 
of their clamorous customers at once. The crown in which 
the Queen was to appear at the coronation was made of 
hoops of silver, enclosing a cap of deep blue velvet; the 



THE ROYAL CROWN. ' 55 

hoops were completely covered with precious stones, sur- 
mounted by a ball covered with small diamonds, and having 
a Maltese cross of brilliants on the top of it. The cross had 
in its centre a splendid sapphire ; the rim of the crown was 
clustered with brilliants, and ornamented v^xx!^ fleur-de-lis and 
Maltese crosses, equally rich. In the front of the large Mal- 
tese cross was the enormous heart-shaped ruby which had 
been worn by Edward, the Black Prince, and which afterwards 
figured in the Helmet of Henry V. at the battle of Agincourt. 
Beneath this, in the circular rim, was a large oblong sapphire. 
There were many other precious gems, emeralds, rubies, and 
sapphires, and several small clusters of drop pearls. The 
lower part of the crown was surrounded with ermine. The 
value of the jewels on the crown was estimated at ;^i 12,760. 
Amid great pomp and ceremony the coronation of her 
Majesty took place in Westminster Abbey, on Thursday, the 
28th of June. London was awake very early on that day, 
and by six o'clock strings of vehicles poured into the West 
End. Crowds of foot-passengers also were on the move, all 
converging towards one point. From Hyde Park Corner to 
the Abbey there was scarcely a house without a scaffolding, 
soon to be filled with sightseers. Seats were sold at a very 
high rate, while tickets for the Inside of the Abbey were 
bought on the eve of the ceremony at more than twenty 
guineas each. At ten o'clock a salute of twenty-one guns, 
and the hoisting of the imperial standard in front of the palace, 
intimated that her Majesty had entered the State carriage. 
The procession then set forth, preceded by trumpeters and a 
detachment of Life Guards. Then came the foreign ministers 
and ambassadors, followed by the carriages of the Royal 
Family, containing the Duchess of Kent, the Duchess of 



56 THE PROCESSION FORMS. 

Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and the 
Duke of Sussex; next her Majesty's carnages, containing 
the members of the household and others ; and then, after 
officers and guards of various kinds, came the State coach, 
drawn by eight cream-colored horses, conveying the Queen 
and the Mistress of the Robes and Master of the Horse. All 
the royal personages were loudly cheered, but when the State 
carriage bearing the young Sovereign came in view the enthu- 
siasm was something tremendous. Her Majesty appeared in 
excellent spirits, and highly delighted with the imposing scene. 
The troops saluted in succession as she passed, and remained 
with presented arms until the royal carriage had passed the 
front of each battalion, the bands continuing to play the 
National Anthem. To the credit of the crowd, a hearty 
cheer was raised for Marshall Soult, which the French 
veteran acknowledged with great satisfaction, not unmingled 
with surprise. It is said that every window along the route 
was a bouquet, every balcony a parterre of living loveliness 
and beauty ; and as the Queen passed, scarfs, handkerchiefs, 
and flowers were waved with the most boisterous enthusiasm. 
Her Majesty was more than once visibly affected by these 
exhilarating demonstrations, and occasionally turned to the 
Duchess of Sutherland to conceal or express her emotion. 

Westminster Abbey was reached at half-past eleven. On 
each side the nave, galleries were erected for the spectators, 
with accommodation for a thousand persons. Under the 
central tower of the Abbey, in the interior of the choir, aj 
platform was raised, covered with a carpet of cloth of gold, 
and upon it the chair of homage, superbly gilt, was placed, 
facing the alter. Further on, within the chancel, and near the 
altar, was Edward the Confessor's chair. The altar was 



AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 57 

covered with massive gold plate. Galleries were provided 
for members of the House of Commons, foreign ambassadors, 
and other persons of distinction, the Judges, Masters in Chan- 
cery, Knights of the Bath, the Lord Mayor, and the members 
of the Corporation. 

Shortly before noon the grand procession began to enter 
the choir. It was headed by the prebendaries and Dean of 
Westminster, followed by the great officers of her Majesty's 
household. 

The scene which followed her Majesty's entry into the 
Abbey was one of the most impressive which could possibly 
be conceived. The Queen looked extremely well, and had a 
very animated expression of countenance. Some of the 
foreign ambassadors had numerous and splendid suites, and 
were magnificently attired ; but by far the most gorgeous was 
Prince Esterhazy, whose dress, down to his very boot-heels, 
sparkled with diamonds. The scene within the choir which 
presented itself to the Queen on her entrance was very 
gorgeous, and indeed almost overwhelming. The Turkish 
ambassador, it is reported, was absolutely bewildered ; he 
stopped in astonishment, and for some time would not move 
up to his allotted place. The Queen was received with hearty 
plaudits as she advanced slowly towards the centre of the 
choir; the anthem, *T was glad when they said unto me, Let 
us go into the house of the Lord," being meanwhile sung by 
the musicians. Then, with thrilling effect and full trumpet 
accompaniment, " God save the Queen " was rendered. The 
booming of the guns outside was deadened by the tumultuous 
acclamations of those within the Abbey, which did not close 
till the beloved object of this enthusiastic homage reached the 
recognition-chair, on the south-east of the altar. Here the 

4 



58 "VIVAT VICTORIA REGINA." 

Queen knelt at the faldstool, engaging in silent prayer. Her 
mind must have been agitated with deep and conflicting 
emotions at this awful moment, when the vast weight of her 
responsibilities pressed in upon her. There were many who 
shed tears as the simple maiden, the centre of so much 
splendor and the cynosure of a whole empire, implored the 
Divine strength in the fulfilment of her sovereign duties. 

When she rose from her devotions the pealing notes of the 
anthem rang through the arches of the Abbey. Scarcely had 
the music ceased when, in pursuance of their prescriptive 
right, the Westminster scholars rose up with one accord and 
acclaimed their Sovereign. They shouted in almost deafening 
chorus, " Victoria, Victoria! Vivat Victoria Reginaf" This 
was the first actual incident in the proceedings of the coro- 
nation. 

The Archbishop of Canterbury now advanced from his 
station at the great south-east pillar to the east side of the 
theatre or platform, accompanied by the Lord Chancellor, 
Lord Great Chamberlain, the High Constable, and the Earl 
Marshall, preceded by Garter King-at-Arms ; and presenting 
the youthful monarch to her people, made the recognition in 
these words : 

"Sirs, I here present unto you Queen Victoria, the un- 
doubted queen of this- realm; wherefore, all you who are 
come this day to do your homage, are you willing to do the 
same?" 

In response there was a rapturous and general shout of 
*'God save Queen Victoria!" The Archbishop and the 
great officers of State made the same recognition to the 
people on the other three sides of the Abbey, south, west, 
and north ; the Queen remaining standing, and turning her- 



RELIGIOUS SERVICE BEGUN. 59 

self about to face her loyal lieges on each side as the fecog- 
nition was made, which was answered with long and repeated 
acclamations. The last recognition over, the drums beat, 
the trumpets sounded, and the band struck up the National 
Anthem. This part of the ceremonial has been described as 
one of the most striking and picturesque. 

The bishops who bore the patina, Bible, and chalice in the 
procession, now placed the same on the altar. The Queen, 
attended by the Bishops of Durham and Bath and Wells and 
the Dean of Westminster, with the great officers of State and 
noblemen bearing the regalia, advanced to the altar, and 
kneeling upon the crimson-velvet cushion, made her first 
offering, being a, pall or altar-cloth of gold, which she deliv- 
ered to the Archbishop of Canterbury, by whom it was placed 
on the altar. Her Majesty next placed an ingot of gold, of 
one pound weight, in the hands of the Archbishop, by whom 
it was put into the oblation basin. The bearers of the regalia, 
except those who carried the swords, then proceeded in order 
to the altar, where they delivered St. Edward's crown, the 
sceptre, dove, orb, spurs, and all the other insignia of royalty, 
to the Archbishop, who delivered them to the Dean of West- 
minster, by whom they were placed on the altar. The religious 
ceremony now began with the reading of the Litany by the 
Bishops of Worcester and St. David's. Then followed the 
Communion Service, read by the Archbishop of Canterbury 
and the Bishops of Rochester and Carlisle. The Bishop of 
London preached the Sermon from the following text: Second 
Chronicles, xxxiv. 31. 

"And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant 
before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep His 
commandments and His testimonies and statutes, and with all 



60 CORONATION SERMON. 

his heart and all his soul to perform the words of the cove- 
nant which are written in this book." 

Her Majesty paid profound attention to the words of the 
sermon, in the course of which the Bishop praised the late 
King for his unfeigned religion, and exhorted his youthful 
successor to follow in his footsteps. The earnest manner in 
which she listened, and the motion with which, at the mention 
of her dead uncle, she bowed her head on her hand to con- 
ceal a falling tear, were highly touching. 

On the conclusion of the service, the Archbishop advanced 
towards the Queen, addressing her thus : 

•* Madam, is your Majesty willing to take the oath? " 

The Queen replied, "I am willing." 

" Will you solemnly promise and swear," continued the 
Archbishop, "to govern the people of this United Kingdom 
of Great Britain and Ireland, and the dominions thereto 
belonging, according to the statutes in Parliament agreed on, 
and the respective laws and customs of the same ? " 

In an audible voice the Queen answered, " I solemnly pro- 
mise so to do." 

*• Will you, to the extent of your power, cause law and jus- 
tice, in mercy, to be executed in all your judgments ? " 

"I will." 

Then said the Archbishop : " Will you, to the utmost of 
your power, maintain the laws of God, the true profession of 
the Gospel, and the Protestant reformed religion established 
by law? And will you maintain and preserve inviolably the 
settlement of the united Church of England and Ireland, and 
the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as 
by law established within England and Ireland, and the terri- 
tories thereunto belonging? And will you preserve unto the 




PRINCESS VICTORIA, DAUGHTER OF KING EDWARD VII. 



THE CORONATION OATtt. 63 

bishops and clergy of England and Ireland, and to the churches 
there committed to their charge, all such rights and privileges 
as by law do or shall appertain to them or any of them ? " 

Clearly and firmly the Queen replied, *' All this I promise 
to do." 

Her Majesty, with the Lord Chamberlain and other officers, 
the sword of State being carried before her, then went to the 
altar and took the coronation oath. Laying her right hand 
upon the Gospels in the Bible carried in the procession, and 
now brought to her by the Archbishop, she said, kneeling : 

" The things which I have here before promised I will per- 
form and keep. So help me God ! " 

Then the Queen kissed the book, and to a transcript of the 
oath set her royal sign manual. After- signing, her Majesty 
knelt upon her faldstool while the choir sang Veni, Creator, 
Spiritus. 

The next part of the ceremony, the anointing was extrem- 
ely interesting. The Queen sat in King Edward's chair; 
four Knights of the Garter — the Dukes of Buccleuch and Rut- 
land, and the Marquises of Anglesey and Exeter — held a rich 
cloth of gold over her head ; the Dean of Westminster took 
the ampulla from the altar, and poured some of the oil it con- 
tained into the gold anointing-spoon ; then the Archbishop 
anointed the head and hands of the Queen, marking them in 
the form of a cross, and pronouncing these words: 

" Be thou anointed with holy oil, as kings, priests, and pro- 
phets were anointed. And as Solomon was anointed king by 
Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet, so be you anointed, 
blessed, and consecrated queen over this people, whom the 
Lord your God hath given you to rule and govern. In the 



64 THE QUEEN ANOINTED. 

name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 

Amen." 

The Archbishop then pronounced a prayer or blessing over 
the Sovereign. 

The spurs were presented by the Lord Chamberlain to the 
Queen, who returned them to the altar. The sword of State 
was presented by Lord Melbourne to the Archbishop, who in 
delivering it into the Queen's right hand said : " Receive this 
kingly sword, brought now from the altar of God, and de- 
livered to you by the hands of us, the servants and bishops 
of God, though unworthy. With this sword do justice, stop 
the growth of iniquity, protect the holy Church of God, help 
and defend widows and orphans, restore the things that are 
gone to decay, maintain the things that are restored, punish 
and reform what is amiss, and confirm what is in good order ; 
that doing these things, you may be glorious in all virtue, and 
so faithfully serve our Lord Jesus Christ in this life that you 
may reign for ever with Him in the life which is to come. 
Amen." 

Lord Melbourne, according to custom, redeemed the sword 
"with a hundred shillings," and carried it unsheathed before 
her Majesty during the remainder of the ceremony. Then 
followed the investing with the royal robe and the delivery of 
the orb. 

One curious custom was observed by the Duke of Norfolk, 
who, as Lord of the manor of Worksop, holds an estate by the 
service of presenting to the Sovereign a right-hand glove 
during the ceremonial of the coronation. The Duke left his 
seat, and approaching the Queen, kneeling, presented to her 
a glove for her right hand, embroidered with the arms of 
Howard, which her Majesty put on. His Grace afterwards 



THE QUEEN CROWNED. 65 

occasionally performed his high feudal office of supporting the 
Sovereign's right arm, or holding the sceptre by her side. 

The Archbishop, in delivering the sceptre with the cross 
into the Queen's right hand said: "Receive the royal sceptre, 
the ensign of kingly power and justice." Next he delivered 
the rod with the dove into the Queen's left hand, this being 
" the rod of equity and mercy." The Archbishop then took 
the crown into his hands, and laying it upon the altar, offered 
up a prayer. Turning from the altar with the other bishops, 
he now received the crown from the Dean of Westminster, 
and placed it on her Majesty's head; whereupon the people, 
with loud and repeated shouts cried, "God save the Queen !" 
At the moment the crown was placed on the head of the 
Sovereign, the act was made known by signal to the sema- 
phore at the Admiralty, from whence it was transmitted to 
the outports and other places. A double royal salute of 
forty-one guns was fired, and the Tower, Windsor, Woolwich, 
and other guns gave a similar greeting to the crowned mon- 
arch of the British realms. 

On the assumption of the crown, the peers and peeresses 
put on their coronets, the bishops their caps, and the kings-of- 
arms their crowns ; while the trumpets sounded, the drums 
beat, and the Tower and park guns fired their volleys. Then 
the full burst of the orchestra broke forth, and the scene 
was one of such grandeur as to defy description. The 
Queen was visibly agitated during the long-reiterated accla- 
mations. 

After an anthem had been sung, the Archbishop presented 
the Bible to the Queen, who gave it to the Dean of West- 
minster to be placed on the altar. The benediction was then 
delivered by the Archbishop, all the bishops, with the rest of 



66 SWEARING ALLEGIANCE. 

the peers, responding to every part of the blessing with a loud 
and hearty "Amen!" The choir then began to sing the 
Te Deum, and the Queen proceeded to the chair which she 
first occupied, supported by two bishops. She was then 
"enthroned," or "lifted," as the formulary states, into the 
chair of homage, by the archbishops, bishops, and peers 
surrounding her. Then began the ceremony of homage. 
The Archbishop of Canterbury knelt and did homage for 
himself and other lords spiritual, who all kissed the Queen's 
hand. The royal dukes, with the temporal peers, followed 
according to their precedence, class by class. Ascending 
the steps leading to the throne, and taking off their coronets, 
they repeated the oath of homage in the following quaint and 
homely Saxon form : 

" I do become your liegeman of life and limb, and of earthly 
worship; and faith and truth I will bear unto you, to live and 
die, against all manner of folks. So help me God!" 

Each peer then in turn touched the cross on her Majesty's 
crown, in token of his readiness to support it against all 
adversaries. He then kissed the Sovereign's hand and 
retired. 

A pretty and touching scene took place when the royal 
dukes, who alone kissed her Majesty's cheek, came forward 
to do homage. The Duke of Sussex, who was suffering from 
indisposition, was feebly and with great diflSculty ascending 
the steps of the throne, when the Queen, yielding to the 
impulse of natural affection, flung her fair arms about his 
neck and tenderly embraced him. 

While the lords were doing homage, the Earl of Surrey, 
Treasurer of the Household, threw coronation medals in 



ROYALTY AT THE ALTAR. 67 

silver about the choir and lower galleries, which were scram- 
bled for with great eagerness. 

At the conclusion of the homage the choir sang the anthem, 
"This is the day which the Lord hath made." The Queen 
received the two sceptres from the Dukes of Norfolk and 
Richmond; the drums beat, the trumpets sounded, and the 
Abbey rang with exultant shouts of "God save Queen 
Victoria ! Long live Queen Victoria ! May the Queen live 
for ever!" The members of the House of Commons raised 
the first acclamation with nine cheers. Of the House of 
Commons as then constituted, there survive only three mem- 
bers who are members of the Lower House at the present 
time — Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Villiers, and Mr. Christopher M. 
Talbot. 

The solemn ceremony of the coronation being now ended, 
the Archbishop of Canterbury went to the altar. The Queen 
followed him, and having divested herself of the symbols of 
sovereignty, she knelt down before the altar. The Gospel 
and Epistle of the Communion Service having been read by 
two bishops, her Majesty made her offering of bread and wine 
for the communion, in the paten and chalice. A second obla- 
tion was a purse of gold, which was placed on the altar. The 
Queen received the sacrament kneeling on the faldstool by 
the chair. Afterwards she put on her crown, and with her 
sceptres in her hands, took her seat again upon the throne. 
The Archbishop then proceeded with the Communion Service, 
and pronounced the final blessing. The choir sang the noble 
anthem, " Hallelujah! for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." 

The Queen then left the throne, and attended by two 
bishops and noblemen bearing the regalia and swords of 
State, passed into King Edward's Chapel, the organ playing. 



68 THE CORONATION FESTIVITIES. 

The Queen delivered the sceptre with the dove to the Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury, who laid it on the altar. She was then 
disrobed of her imperial robe of State, and arrayed in her 
royal robe of purple velvet by the Lord Chamberlain. The 
Archbishop placed the orb in her left hand. The gold spurs 
and St. Edward's staff were delivered by the noblemen who 
bore them to the Dean of Westminster, who placed them on 
the altar. The Queen then went to the west door of the 
Abbey wearing her crown, the sceptre with the cross being in 
her right, and the orb in her left hand. The swords and 
regalia were delivered to gentlemen who attended to receive 
them from the Jewel Office. It was nearly four o'clock when 
the royal procession passed through the nave at the conclu- 
sion of the ceremony. As the Queen emerged from the 
western entrance of the Abbey, there came from the thou- 
sands and tens of thousands of her subjects assembled in the 
vicinity, thunders of acclamation and applause. Similar greet- 
ings awaited her on the whole of the homeward route ; and 
the scene was even more impressive than in the morning, as 
her Majesty now wore her crown, and the peers and peeresses 
their robes and their jewelled coronets. 

To the coronation succeeded the festivities. The Queen 
gave a grand banquet to one hundred guests, and the Duke 
of Wellington a ball at Apsley House, which was attended by 
2000 persons. On the next day, and for three succeeding 
days (omitting Sunday), a fair was held in Hyde Park; this 
popular festive entertainment being visited by her Majesty on 
Friday. All the theatres in the metropolis, and nearly all 
other places of public amusement, were by the Queen's com- 
mand opened gratuitously on the evening of the coronation. 
Enthusiastic demonstrations took place throughout the coun- 



PROCESSIONS AND ILLUMINATIONS. 69 

try, and public dinners, feasts to the poor, processions and 
illuminations were the order of the day. Every town in 
England had its rejoicings ; while in the chief continental 
cities British subjects assembled to celebrate the auspicious 
event. 

But important events kept the young Sovereign's mind 
under high tension at this time. The Ministry was falling 
into disrepute; there was war in Canada, and much discontent 
at home. The time had come when the Queen felt that she 
desired a nearer and yet a dearer one than any of the com- 
panions or counsellors of either sex by whom she was sur- 
rounded. The cares of State weighed heavily upon that 
young heart, and she required some one upon whom she 
could lean in times of anxiety and trouble, and whose love 
and counsel would cheer and sustain her in periods of per- 
plexity. Speculation had long been rife as to when, and with 
whom, she would enter upon the wedded state. Fortunately, 
however, for her happiness, no reasons of State were allowed 
to dictate her course in this the most momentous chancre in a 
woman's life. We shall presently see that when her marriage 
came to be celebrated, it was one of affection, and that it was 
the woman as well as the Queen who stood before the 
hymeneal altar. 



ROYAL COURTSHIP 

AND 

MARRIAGE. 



CHAPTER III. 

ON the 26th of August, 18 19 — the same year which wit- 
nessed the birth of the Queen — there was born to the 
reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld a son, who was after- 
ward named Albert. This child, who was destined to be 
closely allied with England, was lineally descended from those 
great Saxon princes " whose names are immortalized in 
European history by the stand they made in defense of their 
country's liberties against the encroaching power of the Ger- 
man emperors, as well as by the leading part they took in the 
Reformation." Albert was a delicate, nervous child, with a 
beautiful countenance, almost too much of a seraph, it was 
thought, for this mundane sphere ; but by the time he was 
six years old he showed that he was pretty much like other 
boys. The young Prince's training was very thorough, em- 
bracing tuition in various branches of science, languages, 
music, literature, ethics, and politics. He had also a fine 
moral and physical training, so that as he advanced toward 
manhood he was upright both in mind and body. His mind 
was further enlarged by travel through Germany, Austria, 
and Holland. 

In May, 1836, the Duke of Coburg, together with his two 

sons. Prince Ernest and Prince Albert, paid a visit to England, 

and spent nearly four weeks at Kensington Palace with the 

Duchess of Kent. It was now that the Princess Victoria saw 

70 




Thk Duke and Duchess of Fife. 



PRINCE ALBERT AT KENSINGTOW. 



73 



for the first time her future husband. The distinguished 
visitors were y^7^^ at Windsor and at St. James's by the King 
and Queen, and by every member of the royal family in 
England. In the company of the Duchess of Kent and her 
daughter they also visited the chief attractions of the metrop- 
olis. In his home at Erenburg, in the spring of 1839, Prince 
Albert was agreeably surprised, on entering his apartments 
after a long journey, to receive a smiling welcome from the 
features of his fair cousin, the young Queen of England. It 
appears that she had sent her portrait, executed by Chalon, 
for his acceptance, and it was privately placed, by her desire, 
so that it should be the first object to meet his view on his 
return. 

Albert again visited England in the ensuing October, this 
being the third occasion on which he had done so. He 
reached Buckingham Palace on the loth, and was conveyed 
thence in royal carriages to Windsor Castle. The Queen 
appears to have been still more impressed than before with 
her young cousin. There was a great dinner every evening, 
with a dance after it three times a week. The Queen now 
put off the monarch, and was the woman alone. She danced 
with Prince Albert, and showed him many attentions which 
she could never show to others. " At one of the Castle balls, 
just before the Queen declared her engagement with her 
royal cousin to her Council, she presented his Serene High- 
ness with her bouquet. This flattering indication of her favor 
might have involved a less quick-witted lover in an awkward 
dilemma, for his uniform jacket was fastened up to the chin, 
after the Prussian fashion, and offered no buttonhole wherein 
to place the precious gift. But the Prince, In the very 
spirit of Sir Walter Raleigh, seized a penknife and immedi- 



74 



ROYAL COURTSHIP. 



ately slit an aperture in his dress next his heart, and there 
triumphantly deposited the royal flowers." 

Royal courtships naturally excite curiosity, for those undis- 
tinguished in position are eager to learn whether love is, after 
all, the ** leveler " he is represented. Her Majesty's experi- 
ence proved that he was. One report says that the Queen 
endeavored to encourage her lover by asking him how he 
liked England, to which he responded '* Very much." Next 
day the query was repeated, and the same answer was re- 
turned. But on the third occasion, when the maiden-monarch, 
with downcast eyes and tell-tale blushes, asked " If he would 
like to live in Engfland ?" he rose to the occasion. Embold- 
ened by the Queen's demeanor it is stated that " on this hint 
he spoke " of feelings that he had treasured up in strictest 
secrecy since his first visit to England; having, with that 
sensitive delicacy which is the inseparable companion of true 
love, waited for some encouraging token before he ventured 
to offer his homage to the " bright particular star " of his 
devotions. 

Another account says that her Majesty inquired of his 
Serene Highness whether his visit to this country had been 
aofreeable to him ? — whether he liked Enorland ? And on 
the answer being given, " Exceedingly," " Then," added the 
Queen, " it depends on you to make it your home." 

All this is very pretty and very pleasant, but as a matter 
of fact the Queen actually proposed to the Prince, and was 
necessitated to do so from the circumstances of her position. 
We have it on her own admission that she directly made 
the proposal. Some days after she had done so she saw 
the Duchess of Gloucester in London, and told her that 
she was to make her declaration the next day. The 



THE QUEEN PROPOSES. 75 

Duchess asked her if it was not a nervous thing to do. She 
said: 

" Yes ; but I did a much more nervous thing a Httle while 
ago." 

" What was that ?" 

" I proposed to Prince Albert." 

The engagement was made on the 15th of October. 
Prince Albert had been out hunting with his brother, and 
returned to the Castle about noon. Half an hour afterward 
he received a summons from the Queen, and went to her 
room, finding her alone. After a few minutes' conversation 
on other subjects, the Queen told him why she had sent for 
him, and the whole story of mutual love was once more 
quickly told. "Though as Queen," observes one writer, 
** she offered the Prince her coveted hand — that hand which 
had held the sceptre of sceptres, and which princes and peers 
and the representatives of the highest powers on earth had 
kissed in homage — it was only as a poor little woman's weak 
hand, which needed to be upheld and guided in good works 
by a stronger, firmer hand ; and her head, when she laid it 
on her chosen husband's shoulder, had not the feel of the 
crown on it. Indeed, she seems to have felt that his love 
was her real coronation, his faith her consecration." 

The young couple were very happy. They had many 
tastes and sympathies in common. The Prince had consider- 
able facility as an artist, and still more as a composer. The 
music he composed to the songs written by his brother was 
beyond the average in sweetness of melody, and some of his 
sacred compositions, notably the tune " Gotha," were of a 
high order, and found their way into the psalmodies. He 
also sang well and played with skill. During his stay at 



J 6 HAPPY DAYS AT WINDSOR. 

Windsor Castle her Majesty frequently accompanied him on 
the pianoforte, and at a later period they often sang together 
the admired productions of Rossini, Auber, Balfe, and Moore. 
Before he left the Castle, his engagement being then known, 
the Prince drew a pencil portrait of himself, which he 
presented to the Duchess of Kent. The King of the Bel- 
gians had always favored a marriage between the cousins 
Victoria and Albert. He, therefore, took a special interest 
in the engagement. Before he was aware of its conclusion 
he had written to the Queen as follows concerning his 
nephew: "Albert is a very agreeable companion. His man- 
ners are so quiet and harmonious that one likes to have him 
near one's self. I always found him so when I had him with 
me, and I think his travels have still further improved him. 
He is full of talent and fun, and draws cleverly." Then comes 
a very direct hint in the King's letter : " I trust that Albert 
may be able to strew roses without thorns in the pathway of 
life of our good Victoria. He is well qualified to do so." 

A letter from the Queen to the King crossed this one. 
" My dearest uncle," she wrote, " this letter will, I am sure, 
give you pleasure, for you have always shown and taken so 
warm an interest in all that concerns me. My mind is quite 
made up, and I told Albert this morning of it. The warm 
affection he showed me at learning this gave me great 
pleasure. He seems perfection, and I think I have the pros- 
pect of very great happiness before me. I love him more than 
I can say, and shall do everything in my power to render this 
sacrifice as small as I can. We think it better — and Albert 
quite approves of it — that we should be married very soon 
after Parliament meets, about the beginning of February." 

King Leopold sent a very affectionate reply from Wies* 



DECLARATION TO COUNCIL. "]*] 

baden ; ** My dearest Victoria, nothing could have given me 
greater pleasure than your dear letter. Your choice has 
been for these last years my conviction of what might and 
would be best for your happiness." 

Albert remained for a month at Windsor, and we hear of 
a beautiful emerald serpent ring which he presented to his 
lady love. 

Albert returned to the Continent on the 14th of Novem- 
ber. After so many happy weeks the Queen felt her loneli- 
ness very much, and she spent a good deal of her time in 
playing over the musical compositions which she and her 
lover had enjoyed together. She had also another reminder 
of him In the shape of a beautiful miniature, which she wore 
in a bracelet on her arm when she subsequently announced 
her Intended marriage to the Privy Council. 

The Queen had more than one trying ordeal before her. 
She left Windsor with the Duchess of Kent on the 20th of 
November for Buckingham Palace, and immediately sum- 
moned a Council for the 23d. 

Her task before the Council was an embarrassing one, but 
her courage, as she tells us, was inspired by the sight of the 
Prince's picture In her bracelet. " Precisely at two I went 
In," writes the Queen in her journal. "The room was full, 
but I hardly knew who was there. Lord Melbourne I saw 
looking kindly at me with tears In his eyes, but he was not 
near me. I then read my short declaration. I felt my hands 
shake, but I did not make one mistake. I felt most happy 
and thankful when it was over. Lord Lansdowne then rose, 
and in the name of the Privy Council asked that this most 
gracious and most welcome communication might be printed. 
I then left the room, the whole thing not lasting above two or 



78 ^ HER majesty's SPEECH. 

three minutes. The Duke of Cambridge came into the small 
library where I was standing, and wished me joy." 

The Queen's declaration to her Council was as follows : 
" I have caused you to be summoned at the present time in 
order that I may acquaint you with my resolution in a 
matter which deeply concerns the welfare of my people and 
the happiness of my future life. It is my intention to ally my- 
self in marriage with the Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and 
Gotha. Deeply impressed with the solemnity of the engage- 
ment which I am about to contract, I have not come to this 
decision without mature consideration, nor without feeling a 
strong assurance that, with the blessing of Almighty God, it 
will at once secure my domestic felicity, and serve the inter- 
ests of my country. I have thought fit to make known this 
resolution to you at the earliest period, in order that you may 
be apprised of a matter so highly important to me and to my 
kingdom, and which, I persuade myself, will be most accept- 
able to all my loving subjects." 

Parliament was opened by the Queen in person. On her 
way to the House she was received with fervent demonstra- 
tions of loyalty, and the knowledge of the happy errand she 
was upon lent additional interest to her progress on this 
occasion. The marriage that was soon to be solemnized 
touched the people deeply, for they knew it was one of affec- 
tion, and not one " arranged " merely for purposes of State. 

The first part of her Majesty's speech, which was delivered 
with some amount of trepidation, was as follows : " Since you 
were last assembled I have declared my intention of allying 
myself in marriage with the Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg 
and Gotha. I humbly implore that the Divine blessing may 
prosper this union, and render it conducive to the interests 



HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS. 79 

of my people, as well as to my own domestic happiness ; and 

it will be to me a source of the most lively satisfaction to find 

the resolution I have taken approved by my Parliament. The 

constant proofs which I have received of your attachment to 

. my person and family, persuade me that you will enable me 

1 to provide for such an establishment as may appear suitable 

\ to the rank of the Prince and the dignity of the Crown." 

A bill for the naturalization of Prince Albert was at once 
passed through both Houses, and the Queen subsequently 
conferred upon her future husband the title of " His Royal 
Highness," as well as the rank of a Field Marshal in the 
British Army. 

The question of the precedence of Prince Albert, however, 
caused a great deal of difficulty, and miich annoyance to the 
Queen. In the end the Queen settled the problem, so far as 
England was concerned, by declaring it to be her royal will 
and pleasure, under her sign-manual, that her husband 
should enjoy place, pre-eminence, and precedence next to her 
Majesty. 

The royal marriage was fixed for the loth of February, and 
on the afternoon of the 8th Prince Albert arrived at Bucking- 
ham Palace, accompanied by his father and elder brother. 
The Prince brought as a wedding gift to his bride a beautiful 
sapphire and diamond brooch ; and her Majesty in return 
presented the Prince with the Star and Badge of the Garter, 
and the Garter itself set in diamonds. The wedding cere- 
mony was one of unusual interest, for more than a century 
had elapsed since the nuptials of a reigning Queen of Eng- 
land had been celebrated, beside which the youth and grace 
of Victoria had touched all loyal hearts. At an early hour 
a dense throng of persons assembled in front of Buckingham 



8o THE ROYAL MARRIAGE. 

Palace, from whence the procession was to set out for St. 
James's, where the marriage was to be solemnized. At a 
quarter before twelve the bridegroom's procession issued 
forth, consisting of Prince Albert, his father, the Duke of 
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, his brother, Prince Ernest, and their 
suites. At ten minutes past twelve the signal was given for 
the departure of the Queen. Accompanied by the Duchess 
of Kent, and attended by the Duchess of Sutherland, her 
Majesty seated herself in her full-dress carriage. She wore 
a wreath of orange blossoms and a veil of Honiton lace, 
with a necklace and earrings of diamonds. Her dress was 
of white satin, with a very deep trimming of Honiton lace, in 
design similar to that of the veil. The body and sleeves 
were richly trimmed with the same material to correspond. 
The train, which was of white satin, was trimmed with orange 
blossoms. The cost of the lace alone on the Queen's dress 
was ;^i,ooo. The satin was manufactured in Spitalfields, 
and the lace at a village near Honiton. More than two hun- 
dred persons were employed upon the latter for a period of 
eight months, and as the lace trade of Honiton had seriously 
declined, all these persons would have been destitute during 
the winter had it not been for the Queen's express order that 
the lace should be manufactured by them. 

As her Majesty entered her carriage she was extremely 
pale and agitated, but the cheers of the people quickened her 
spirits, and brought the blush to her cheeks and the smiles 
to her eyes. She bowed repeatedly in response to the joyous 
acclamations M^hich greeted her on every side as the carriage 
moved off. All the way to St. James's Palace nothing was to 
be heard but enthusiastic cheering, and nothing to be seen 
but the waving of brides' favors and snowy handkerchiefs. 




The Dowager Czarina of Russia, 
Sister of the Princess of Wales. 



HANDSOME PRINCE ALBERT. 8 1 

At twenty minutes past twelve a flourish of trumpets and 
drums gave notice of the approach of the royal bridegroom, 
and shortly afterward the band played the triumphant strains 
of " See the Conquering Hero Comes !" The Prince wore a 
Field Marshal's uniform, with the star and ribbon of the 
Garter, and the bridal favors on his shoulders heightened his 
picturesque appearance. One who stood near him thus made 
notes of his person : " Prince Albert is most prepossessing. 
His features are regular; his hair pale auburn, of silken 
glossy quality ; eyebrows well defined and thickly set ; eyes 
blue and lively ; nose well proportioned, handsome mouth, 
teeth perfectly beautiful, small mustachios, and downy com- 
plexion. He greatly resembles the Queen, save that he is 
of a lighter complexion ; still, he looks as though neither care 
nor sorrow had ever ruffled or cast a cloud over his placid 
and reflective brow. There is an unmistakable air of refine- 
ment and rectitude about him, and every year will add intel- 
lectual and manly beauty to his very interesting face and 
form." 

As the Prince moved along he was greeted with loud clap- 
ping of hands from the men, and enthusiastic waving of 
handkerchiefs from the assembled ladies. In his hand he 
carried a Bible bound in green velvet. Over his shoulders 
was hung the collar of the Garter, surmounted by two white 
rosettes. On his left knee was the Garter itself, which was 
of the most costly workmanship, and literally covered with 
diamonds. 

When the bridegroom's procession reached the chapel 
the drums and trumpets filed off without the door, and the 
procession advancing, his Royal Highness was conducted to 
the seat provided for him on the left hand of the altar. At 



82 THE WEDDING PROCESSION. 

half-past twelve the drums and trumpets sounded the Na- 
tional Anthem as a prelude to the arrival of the bride. Every 
person arose as the doors were again opened, and the royal 
procession came in with solemn steps and slow. The coup 
d'ceil was now magnificent, as floods of sunshine streamed 
through the windows upon the many gorgeous costumes in 
which the royal and distinguished persons who appeared in 
the procession were attired. The Princesses attracted much 
attention. First came the Princess Sophia Matilda of Glou- 
cester, still very beautiful, and dressed in lily-white satin ; 
then the Princess Augusta of Cambridge, in pale blue, with 
blush roses round her train ; next the Duchess of Cambridge, 
in white velvet, leading by the hand the lovely little Princess 
Mary, who was dressed in white satin and swansdown, the 
mother all animation and smiles at the applause which greeted 
her child ; and lastly the Duchess of Kent, regal in stature 
and dignity, and dressed in white and silver, with blue velvet 
train. The Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex 
succeeded, the latter " looking blithe and full of merry con- 
ceits." 

Immediately after Lord Melbourne, who carried the sword 
of State, came the Queen herself, the central figure, and one 
of universal interest. She looked anxious and excited, and 
with difficulty restrained her agitated feelings. Her Majesty's 
train was borne by twelve unmarried ladies, the daughters of 
well-known peers. 

The bridesmaids, like their royal mistress, were attired in 
white. Their dresses were composed of delicate net, trimmed 
with festoons of white roses over slips of rich gros de Naples, 
with orarlands of white roses over the head. The Duchess 
of Sutherland walked next to the Queen, and the ladies of 



THE WEDDING SERVICE. 83 

th*? bedchamber and the maids of honor closed the bride's 
precession. 

The Chapel Royal was specially prepared and decorated 
for the ceremony. The altar and haut pas had a splendid 
appearance, the whole being lined with crimson velvet. The 
wall above the communion-table was hung with rich festoons 
of crimson velvet edged with gold lace. The Gothic pillars 
supporting the galleries were gilt, as were the moldings of 
the oaken panels, and the Gothic railing round the com- 
munion-table. The communion-table itself was a rich pro- 
fusion of gold plate. The entire floor was covered with a 
blue and gold pattern carpet, with the Norman rose. The 
whole of the remaining part of the interior was decorated ; 
and the ceiling adorned with the arms of Great Britain in 
various colored devices. 

The entire service was precisely that of the Church liturgy, 
the simple names of " Albert " and " Victoria " being used. 
To the usual questions Prince Albert answered firmly " I 
will," and the Queen — in accents which, though full of soft- 
ness and music, were audible at the most extreme corner of 
the chapel — gave the same answer. 

Upon the conclusion of the service, the Queen shook 
hands cordially with the various members of the royal family, 
who now took up their positions in the procession as arranged 
for the return. 

The procession, being formed, left the chapel much in the 
same order as it had entered. But her Majesty and her 
newly-wedded consort now walked together hand-in-hand, 
ungloved — Prince Albert with sparkling eyes and a height- 
ened color smiling down upon the Queen, and she appearing 
very bright and animated. 



84 ATTESTATION OF THE MARRIAGE. 

When the Queen and her husband passed through the cor- 
ridor, after leaving the chapel, the clapping of hands and 
waving of handkerchiefs were renewed again and again, until 
they had vanished out of sight. 

The procession passed on to the State apartments, but the 
Queen and Prince Albert, with their royal relatives and the 
principal Ministers of State and members of the Privy Council 
proceeded to the throne-room, where they were joined by the 
Archbishops of Canterbury and York and the Bishop of Lon- 
don. The attestation of the marriage now took place upon 
a splendid table prepared for the purpose. Her Majesty and 
Prince Albert signed the marriage register, and it may here 
be mentioned that the name of the Queen is Alexandrina 
Victoria Guelph, while that of the Prince Consort was Francis 
Albert Augustus Charles Emanuel Busici. The marriage 
was attested by the Duke of Sussex and twenty-nine other 
persons. The attestation book, which is bound in rich purple 
velvet, is a speaking memento of royal nuptial ceremonies 
for many generations past. It is in the custody of the Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury. Amongst the witnesses who signed 
at the Queen's marriage was the Duke of Wellington, and it 
is an interesting fact that his signature also appeared at the 
attestation of her birth. 

When all was concluded within St. James's, the procession 
to Buckingham Palace was re-formed in almost the same 
order as when it set out in the morning, except that Prince 
Albert now took his place in the same carriage with her 
Majesty. 

The wedding breakfast was given at Buckingham Palace, 
the guests including the various members of the royal family, 
the officers of the household, the Ministers of State, and the 



THE WEDDING BREAKFAST. 85 

Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Bishop of London. The 
wedding-cake, which was admirably designed, was a great 
object of attraction. It was more than nine feet in circum- 
ference by sixteen inches deep. Its weight was three hundred 
pounds, and the materials of which it was composed cost one 
hundred guineas. On the top of the cake was the figure of 
Britannia in the act of blessing the illustrious bride and bride- 
groom. The figures were nearly a foot in height, and by the 
feet of the Prince was the effigy of a dog, intended to repre- 
sent fidelity, while at the feet of the Queen were two turtle- 
doves, denoting the felicities of the marriage state. A cupid, 
beautifully modeled, was writing in a volume expanded on 
his knees the date of the day of the marriage, and various 
other cupids were disporting themselves after the manner of 
cupids. There were numerous bouquets of white flowers 
tied with true-lovers' knots of white satin ribbon on the top 
of the cake ; and these were intended for presents to the 
guests at the nuptial breakfast. There were large medallions 
upon shields bearing the letters "V " and "A," and supported 
by cupids on pedestals, while all round and over the cake 
were wreaths and festoons of orange blossoms and myrtle, 
entwined with roses. 

Each of the royal bridesmaids received a magnificent 
brooch, the gift of her Majesty. This brooch was in the 
shape of a bird, the body being formed entirely of turquoises ; 
the eyes were rubies and the beak a diamond ; the claws 
were of pure gold, and rested on pearls of great size and 
value. The whole workmanship was very exquisite, and the 
design was furnished by the Queen. 

Shortly before four o'clock the royal party left Bucking- 
ham Palace for Windsor amid the acclamations of a vast 



86 RECEPTION AT ETON. 

multitude. Just as the procession left the palace the sun 
shone forth brilliantly upon the newly-married pair, an em- 
blem, it was universally hoped, of their future happiness. On 
the road to Windsor the principal houses in the villages 
were illuminated, and crowds came forth to testify their loyal 
delight on the happy occasion. Eton College presented one 
of the finest spectacles on the route. Opposite to the college 
was a representation of the Parthenon at Athens, which was 
brilliantly illuminated by several thousand variegated lamps ; 
it was surmounted by flags and banners, and under the royal 
arms was displayed the following motto : " Gratulatus 
Etona Victorioe et Alberto'' Beneath the clock tower of the 
college there was a blaze of light, and a number of appro- 
priate devices were displayed in various colored lamps. A 
triumphal arch, composed of evergreens and lamps taste- 
fully displayed, extended across the road. The Etonians, 
wearing white favors, were marshaled in front of the college. 
They received the Queen with loud acclamations, and escorted 
her to the Castle gates. 

By the time Windsor was reached the shades of evening 
had gathered. The whole town could be perceived therefore 
brilliantly illuminated before the royal carriage entered it. A 
splendid effect was created by the dazzling lights as they 
played upon the faces of the multitude. The crowd on the 
Castle hill was so dense at half-past six that it was with the 
utmost difficulty a line was kept clear for the royal carriages. 
The whole street was one living mass, whilst the walls of the 
houses glowed with crowns, stars, and all the brilliant de- 
vices which gas and oil could supply. At this moment a flight 
of rockets was visible in the air, and it was immediately con- 
cluded that the Queen had entered Eton. The bells now 



ARRIVAL AT ETON. $7 

rang merrily, and the shouts of the spectators were heard as 
the royal cortege approached the Castle. At twenty minutes 
before seven the royal carriage arrived in the High Street, 
Windsor, preceded by the advance guard of the traveling 
escort. The shouts were now most loud and continuous, and 
from the windows and balconies of the houses handkerchiefs 
were waved by the ladies, whilst the gentlemen huzzaed and 
waved their hats. The carriage, owing to the crowd, pro- 
ceeded slowly, the Queen and her royal consort bowing to 
the people. Her Majesty looked remarkably well, and Prince 
Albert seemed in the highest spirits at the cordiality with 
which he was greeted. When the carriage drew up at the 
grand entrance the Queen was handed from it by the Prince ; 
she immediately took his arm and entered the Castle. 

A splendid State banquet in celebration of the royal wed- 
ding was given at St. James's Palace in the grand banqueting- 
room. 

How well and judiciously on the whole the Prince fulfilled 
his functions as the Queen's adviser, history has already borne 
testimony. If he sometimes made mistakes, he certainly 
made fewer than might have been expected from one in his 
difficult position. But his unquestioned integrity, his sincerity, 
honesty, and high principle, stood him in good stead ; and 
they were a sheet-anchor upon which the Queen could always 
rely. Neither her Majesty nor her husband expected to find 
life easy in their exalted station ; but as both were in deep 
sympathy with each other, and as love, trustful and un- 
feigned, was the moving spring of both, difficulties were over- 
come instead of becoming themselves insurmountable. The 
Queen's was a marriage of profound happiness and mutual 
trust, for it was a real union of souls. 



EARLY YEARS 

OF 

WEDDED LIFE. 



CHAPTER IV. 

AUSPICIOUSLY as the Queen's married life began, it 
necessarily caused some friction in quarters which 
were ruled by old Court principles. It was difficult for the 
officials of the palaces to settle down under the new condi- 
tions. All was altered, and Prince Albert found that even in 
his own home it was necessary to be . stern sometimes and to 
exercise his authority. 

The Queen and Prince Albert spent their first Easter to- 
gether at Windsor, and here also they took the Sacrament in 
common for the first time. Reference has already been made 
to the Prince's religious convictions, and the Queen has re- 
marked concerninof the taking" of the Sacrament: "The 
Prince had a very strong feeling about the solemnity of the 
act, and did not like to appear in company either the evening 
before or on the day on which he took it, and he and the 
Queen almost always dined alone on these occasions." 

At this time the Queen parted with her mother, who now 
felt it right to retire to a separate establishment. But even 
this separation did not interrupt the close sympathy and 
affection which had always existed between mother and child. 

Her Majesty spent her birthday at Claremont, and in the 
company of her husband enjoyed her first period of uninter- 
rupted leisure and relaxation from the affairs of State. The 
attractions of that charming seat afforded great delight to the 
88 



NOBLE PRINCE ALBERT. 89 

royal couple, who wandered about at their will, undisturbed 
by the bustle and cares of a full Court. On one occasion 
they were caught in a shower, and sought shelter in a cottage 
inhabited by an old and solitary dame. This good cottager 
entertained her visitors with many stories touching the Prin- 
cess Charlotte and Prince Leopold, once the owners of Clare- 
mont, little imagining the rank of her listeners. When the 
royal visitors left she lent them her umbrella, with many 
strict injunctions to Prince Albert that it should be taken care 
of and faithfully returned. 

The first occasion on which the Prince manifested his deep 
sympathy with humanitarian movements — one of the con- 
spicuous features of his career — was on the ist of June, when 
he presided over a meeting called to promote the abolition 
of the slave trade. He had carefully prepared his speech 
beforehand, committed it to memory, and repeated it to the 
Queen. The Prince made a successful entree upon public 
life. Caroline Fox, the Quaker, makes mention of the 
Prince's appearance in her Memoirs : " The acclamations 
attending his entrance were perfectly deafening, and he bore 
them all with calm, modest dignity, repeatedly bowing with 
considerable grace. He certainly is a very beautiful young 
man, a thorough German, and a fine poetic specimen of the 
race. He uttered his speech in a rather low tone, and with 
the prettiest foreign accent." 

London was startled on the evening of the loth of June 
by the report of Oxford's attempt to assassinate the Queen. 
From the various accounts published at the time, and subse- 
quently, it appears that the Queen and Prince Albert left 
Buckingham Palace by the garden gate opening from Consti- 
tution Hill for a drive. The hour was about six o'clock. 



90 ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION. 

They were seated in a very low German droschky, drawn by 
four horses, with postillions, preceded by two outriders and 
followed by two equerries. As soon as the carriage had pro- 
ceeded a short distance up Constitution Hill, thus getting 
clear of spectators, a young man on the park side of the road 
presented a pistol and fired it directly at the Queen. The 
Prince, hearing the report, turned his head in the direction 
whence it came ; her Majesty at the same instant rose, but 
Prince Albert immediately pulled her down by his side. 
Several persons rushed upon the miscreant. The fellow was 
quite calm and collected, admitted having fired the pistol, 
and went quietly with two of the police to the Queen Square 
Station. He was discovered to be one Edward Oxford, 
seventeen years of age, and recently employed as barman at a 
public house in Oxford Street. The Queen, as might naturally 
be supposed, was seriously alarmed at the occurrence. Rising 
to show that she was unhurt, she ordered the postillions to 
drive to Ingestre House, her first thought being for her 
mother. The Duchess of Kent received her daughter safely 
before there had been time for her to be shocked by the 
news of the attempted assassination. The Queen and the 
Prince remained with the Duchess for a short time, and then 
returned by way of Hyde Park. 

For many days after the dastardly affair there was an ex- 
hibition of almost unbounded loyalty. The journals of the 
day report that thousands of people continued to assemble 
before the palace, and hundreds of noblemen, members of the 
Government, and private ladies and gentlemen called to con- 
gratulate or inquire, and to present their grateful addresses 
on such a happy and providential deliverance. Whenever 
her Majesty and the Prince drove out they were escorted by 



PRINCE ALBERT MADE REGENT. 9 1 

hundreds of ladies and gentlemen on horseback, who accom- 
panied them like a bodyguard ; whilst the immense sympa- 
thizing crowds cheered most enthusiastically. At first there 
was a surmise as to a widespread conspiracy being on foot, 
but this report was discovered to be unfounded, though there 
had been some slight countenance for it. 

At the different theatres, and at places where public 
dinners were held, as soon as the news transpired on the 
Wednesday evening, the day of the attempt, " God Save the 
Queen " was sung with loyal fervor. A grand concert was 
being held at the Opera House for the benefit of the New 
Musical Fund ; it was to have terminated with Mozart's over- 
ture to Idomeneo, but Sir George Smart, the conductor, stepped 
forward, and having informed the audience of the attempt on 
her Majesty's life, proposed to substitute the National An- 
them. His suggestion was received with great enthusiasm. 

Toward the close of the Parliamentary session of 1840 a 
Regency bill was introduced. The prospect of an heir to the 
throne rendered it necessary to make provision for her 
Majesty's possible death or lengthened disqualification for 
reigning. Both political parties were consulted in the matter, 
and a bill was brought forward providing that Prince Albert 
should be Regent in the event of the death of Queen Victoria 
before her next lineal descendant and successor should have 
attained the full age of eighteen years. The measure was 
well received, and, with the exception of a speech made by 
the Duke of Sussex in the Lords, it passed both houses 
unanimously and without objection, and became law. 

The daily life of the royal pair has been thus described. 
The Queen and Prince breakfasted at nine, and took a walk 
every morning soon afterward. When in London these 



92 ROYALTY AT HOME. 

walks were taken in Buckingham Palace gardens, which the 
Prince had already enlivened with different kinds of animals 
and aquatic birds. In their morning walks in the gardens 
it was a great amusement to the Prince to watch and feed 
these birds. He taught them to come when he whistled to 
them from a bridge connecting a small island with the rest of 
the gardens. 

After the walk came the usual amount of business (far 
less heavy, however, then than now), besides which they 
drew and etched a great deal together, which was a source 
of great amusement, having the plates bit in the house. 
Luncheon followed at the usual hour of two o'clock. Lord 
Melbourne, who was generally staying in the house, came 
to the Queen in the afternoon ; and between five and six the 
Prince usually drove her out in a pony phaeton. If the Prince 
did not drive the Queen he rode, in which case she drove 
with the Duchess of Kent or the ladies. The Prince also 
read aloud most days to the Queen. The dinner was at 
eight o'clock, and always with the company. In the even- 
ing the Prince frequently played at double chess, a game of 
which he was very fond, and which he played extremely well. 
The Prince made his way with all classes, even with those 
Tories who at first looked rather askance at him. He was 
conciliatory and judicious ; and to show the way he had ad- 
j vanced in the public esteem, the remark which Melbourne 
- made to the Queen on the Regency bill may be quoted : 
" Three months ago they would not have done it for him ; it 
is entirely his own character." The Duke of Wellington 
was so completely won over that he remarked : " Let the 
Queen put the Prince where she likes, and settle it herself; 
that is the best way." 



FREEDOM OF THE CITY. 93 

The Queen prorogued Parliament on the nth of August, 
Prince Albert accompanying her for the first time. Next 
day the Court left for Windsor. On the 26th his Royal 
Highness attained his majority, and the event was cele- 
brated by a breakfast at Adelaide Lodge. The Prince went 
to London on the 28th for the purpose of receiving the free- 
dom of the city. At this ceremony the names of six Alder- 
men and Common Councilmen, who undertook to vouch for 
the eligibility of the Prince, were read, together with the 
declaration upon oath. The oath was as follows : " We declare, 
upon the oath we took at the time of our admission to the 
freedom of the city, that Prince Albert is of good name and 
fame ; that he does not desire the freedom of this city 
whereby to defraud the Queen or this city of any of their 
rights, customs or advantages ; but that he will pay his scot 
and bear his lot ; and so we all say." 

The Chamberlain then proposed the freeman's oath to the 
Prince, and it was remarked that he was evidently moved at 
that part where he swore to keep the peace toward her 
Majesty. Husbands do not always voluntarily swear to 
keep the peace toward their wives. The Chamberlain having 
next addressed his Royal Highness, the Prince delivered the 
following answer very distinctly and audibly : " It is with the 
greatest pleasure that I meet you upon this occasion, and 
offer you my warmest thanks for the honor which has been 
conferred upon me by the presentation of the freedom of the 
city of London. The wealth and intelligence of this vast city 
have raised it to the highest eminence amongst the cities of 
the world ; and it must therefore ever be esteemed a great 
distinction to be numbered amongst the members of your 
ancient corporation. I shall always remember with pride 
6 



94 BIRTH OF THE PRINCESS ROYAL. 

and satisfaction the day on whicli I became your fellow- 
citizen ; and it is especially gratifying to me, as marking your 
loyalty and affection to the Queen." 

Prince Albert was sworn a member of the Privy Council 
on the 1 1 th of September, and it is stated that so anxious 
was he to discharge conscientiously every duty which might 
devolve upon him, that in his retirement at Windsor he set 
to work to master Hallam's Constitutional History with the 
Queen, and also began the study of English law with a 
barrister. 

Early in November preparations were made at Buckingham 
Palace for the approaching accouchement of the Queen. The 
Court removed from Windsor to London on the 1 3th, and 
on the 2 1 St the Princess Royal was born at Buckingham 
Palace. 

The Queen has recorded the traits of tenderness shown 
by her husband during her seclusion : " He was content to 
sit by her in a darkened room, to read to her, and to write for 
her. No one but himself ever lifted her from her bed to her 
sofa, and he always helped to wheel her on her bed or sofa 
into the next room. For this purpose he would come in- 
stantly, when sent for, from any part of the house. His care 
for her was like that of a mother, nor could there be a kinder, 
wiser, more judicious nurse." 

The Queen speedily recovered from her accouchement, and 
opened Parliament in person on the 26th of January, 1841. 
Prince Albert, in the uniform of a Field Marshal, entered the 
House of Lords with the royal procession and took his seat 
on the chair of State appropriated for him on the left of the 
throne. The Queen's speech was not an exciting document. 
Happily, affairs were peaceful at home at this time, though 



PRINCESS ROYAL CHRISTENED. 95 

abroad there were wars and rumors of wars. England was 
just passing through one of its many difficulties with China ; 
serious differences had arisen between Spain and Portugal 
on the navigation of the Douro ; and affairs in the Levant 
were in a serious condition. England had concluded with 
Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Turkey a convention intended 
to effect a pacification of the Levant, to maintain the integrity 
and independence of the Ottoman Empire, and thereby to 
afford additional security for the peace of Europe. Treaties 
had also just been concluded with the Argentine Republic and 
the Republic of Hayti for the suppression of the slave trade. 

An accident happened to Prince Albert on the 9th of Feb- 
ruary, which, but for the Queen's presence of mind, might 
have had serious consequences. His Royal Highness was 
skating in Buckingham Palace gardens when the ice sud- 
denly gave way, and he was immersed in deep water. He 
had to swim for several minutes before he was got out. The 
Queen was close by the Prince when the accident occurred, 
and was the only person who had sufficient presence of mind 
to render him any material assistance. 

The christening of the Princess Royal took place on the 
loth, in the throne-room at Buckingham Palace. The font, 
new for the occasion, was very elegant in form and ex- 
quisitely finished. It was of silver gilt, elaborately carved 
with the royal arms, etc. The water used for the ceremony 
was brought from the river Jordan. The Archbishop of 
Canterbury officiated, with the assistance of the Bishops of 
London and- Norwich, and the Dean of Carlisle. Queen 
Adelaide named the royal infant ** Victoria Adelaide Mary 
Louisa." 

There was great rejoicing at Buckingham Palace on the 



96 BIRTH OF A PRINCE. 

9th of November, 1841, when the Queen gave birth to her 
first-born son, and consequently the heir to the throne. The 
Archbishop of Canterbury, the Premier, and all the great 
officers of State were summoned to the Palace as early as 
seven o'clock in the morning, and the Duchess of Kent 
arrived at nine. The Queen was then very ill, and had been 
so at intervals during the two preceding hours. Prince 
Albert manifested the greatest anxiety and interest as he 
remained in attendance with the medical men, Sir James 
Clark, Dr. Locock, and Mr. Blagden. Shortly before eleven 
o'clock the Prince was born. H« was conveyed by the nurse 
to the Privy Councillors and others in the adjoining apart- 
ment, who thereupon signed a declaration as to the birth of , 
an heir to the British Crown. Intelligence of the happy 
event was immediately communicated to all the members of 
the royal family. 

Official etiquette, usually as strong as the law of the Medes 
and Persians, was for once set aside in the great joy over 
the birth of a Prince. It appears that almost every influential 
individual in the household of her Majesty stepped out of his 
proper sphere and gave directions which belonged to the 
departments of others. There was a complete confusion of 
places for at least half an hour after the event, and Court 
officials rushed hither and thither with the gratifying intelli- 
gence of the birth of a Prince ; three messengers arrived at 
Marlborough House within two minutes, all desirous of being 
the first to convey the news to the Queen Dowager. An 
act of royal clemency marked the happy occasion of the birth 
of an heir to the throne. Her Majesty was pleased to notify 
to the Home Secretary that those convicts who had behaved 
well should have their punishment commuted ; and that those 




u 



pq 




Prince George of Wai.e? 



CHRISTMAS AT THE PALACE. 99 

deserving this clemency on board the various hulks should 
have their liberty at once granted to them. On the nth of 
November the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress and the 
Sheriffs were received at Buckingham Palace. After having 
had caudle served, the party were conducted by the Lord 
Chamberlain to the apartments of Prince Albert, to pay a 
visit of congratulation to his Royal Highness. The infant 
Prince was brought into the room in which the company were 
assembled, and was carried around to all the distinguished 
visitors present. The Archbishop of Canterbury issued a 
special prayer to be offered up in all churches on behalf of 
the Queen and the infant Prince. 

There was great happiness within the Palace, At Christ- 
mas the Queen wrote in her journal: **To think that we 
have two children now, and one who enjoys the sight already 
(the Christmas tree); it is like a dream." Prince Albert, 
writing to his father, said : " This is the dear Christmas Eve 
on which I have so often listened with impatience for your 
step, which was to convey us into the gift-room. To-day I 
have two children of my own to make gifts to, who, they 
know not why, are full of happy wonder at the German 
Christmas tree and its radiant candles." Her Majesty gives 
us another sketch of a peaceful " interior": ''Albert brought 
in dearest little Pussy (Princess Victoria) in such a smart, 
white merino dress, trimmed with blue, which mamma had 
given her, and a pretty cap, and placed her on my bed, seat- 
ing himself next to her, and she was very dear and good; 
and as my precious, invaluable Albert sat there, and our 
little love between us, I felt quite moved with happiness and 
gratitude to God." Writing some weeks later to King Leo- 
pold, she said : " I wonder very much whom our little boy will 



lOO LITTLE PRINCE OF WALES. 

be like. You will understand how fervent are my prayers, 
and I am sure everybody's must be, to see him resemble his 
father in every respect, both in mind and body." And in 
another letter she remarked : " We all have our trials and 
vexations ; but if one's home is happy, then the rest is com- 
paratively nothing." 

When the baby Prince was a month old the Queen issued 
a patent creating " our most dear son " Prince of Wales and 
Earl of Chester. He was already Duke of Saxony, Duke 
of Cornwall and Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Ren- 
frew, Lord of the Isles, and Great Steward of Scotland. 
With regard to his new Welsh dignity the patent ran : " As 
has been accustomed, we do ennoble and invest him with the 
said principality and earldom, by girting him with a sword, 
by putting a coronet on his head and a gold ring on his 
finger, and also by delivering a gold rod into his hand, that he 
may preside there, and may direct and defend those parts." 

The christening of the Prince of Wales, which was made a 
very imposing ceremony, took place on the 25th of January, 
1842, in St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. The King of 
Prussia had arrived at the Castle three days before, on a visit 
to the Queen, and to stand as chief sponsor at the christening. 
When the Infant Prince was brought in and given into the 
hands of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the sponsors named 
him " Albert Edward," by which names he was accordingly 
christened by his Grace. On the conclusion of the ceremony 
the " Hallelujah Chorus " was sung by the full choir, by re- 
quest of Prince Albert, and the overture to Handel's oratorio 
of "Esther" was performed. The name of Albert was given 
to the young Prince, after his father, and that of Edward 
after his maternal grandfather, the Duke of Kent. 



IMPOSING CEREMONIES. lOI 

After the christening the Queen held a chapter of the Order 
of the Garter, when the King of Prussia, as " a lineal de- 
scendant of King George I," was elected a Knight Companion, 
the Queen buckling the garter round his knee. Then fol- 
lowed luncheon in the white breakfast-room, and in the 
evening there was a grand banquet in St. George's Hall. 
The display of plate was amazing, and there was one im- 
mense gold vessel, described as more like a bath than any- 
thing else, capable of containing thirty dozen of wine. To 
the great surprise of the Prussian visitors, it was filled with 
mulled claret. The Queen paid special honor and deference 
to her august visitor, the King of Prussia. 

There never was a period in her Majesty's life when she 
was more jubilant in spirits, or more profoundly happy, than 
this which immediately succeeded upon the birth of the 
Prince of Wales. Supremely blest in the choice she had 
made of a husband, she rejoiced to see her royal consort 
daily making his way in the affections of the people, and now 
that there was an heir to the crown, the Sovereign and the 
people were drawn closely together by a new and auspicious 
bond. The weight of State cai;es no longer pressed heavily 
upon her, and her cup of happiness was full even to over- 
flowing. 



JOYS AND CARES 

OF 

ROYALTY. 



CHAPTER V. { 

THE year 1842 brought with it many sad episodes. 
Terrible news came from Afghanistan, where "the 
fatal policy of English interference with the fiery tribes of 
Northern India in support of an unpopular ruler had ended 
in the murder of Sir Alexander Burnes and Sir William 
Macnaghten, and the evacuation of Cabul by the English." 
Other disasters succeeded, chief amongst which was the de- 
struction of her Majesty's 44th Regiment. The soldiers were 
cut down almost to a man, and only one individual of the 
whole British force was able to reach Jellalabad. This was 
Dr. Brydon, who arrived there, faint and wounded, on the 
13th of January. 

As the year opened, there was also war with China, which 
resulted in favor of Great Britain. After the taking of Chin- 
keang-foo by the British, and the appearance of the squadron 
before Nankin, hostilities were suspended, and negotiations 
for peace were entered into and concluded between the Chi- 
nese Commissioners and Sir Henry Pottinger. 

But the condition of things at home was very serious. Not 
only was there a continuous fall in the revenue, but an ever- 
growing agitation throughout the country on the subject of 
the Corn Laws. Loud and general complaints were heard 
of depression in all the principal branches of trade, accom- 
panied by distress among the poorer classes ; and after all 
102 



POLITICAL SITUATION. IO3 

allowance had been made for exaggeration there still re- 
mained a real and lamentable amount of misery and destitu- 
tion. Though the people bore their sufferings with exemplary 
patience and fortitude, there could be no doubt that they were 
passing through a period of deep trial and privation. 

It was not, therefore, without a shadow over her happiness 
that the Queen opened Parliament in person on the 3d of 
February. The ceremony was attended by more than usual 
pomp and splendor in consequence of the presence of the 
King of Prussia. 

The Queen and Prince Albert were profoundly Interested 
in March by the news of the approaching marriage of Prince 
Ernest to the Princess Alexandrina of Baden. Writing to 
King Leopold on the subject, her Majesty said : " My heart 
is full, very full, of this marriage ; it brings back so many 
recollections of our dear betrothal — as Ernest was with us 
all the time, and longed for similar happiness. I have en- 
treated Ernest to pass his honeymoon with us, and I beg you 
to urge him to do it, for he witnessed our happiness, and we 
must therefore witness his!^ Prince Albert much wished to 
go over to Carlsruhe for the wedding, which took place on 
the 3d of May, but he felt that he could not leave the Queen 
at this anxious time. The prevalent distress, which led to 
rioting in the English and Scotch mining districts, the agita- 
tion on the subject of the Corn Laws, the fears of a Chartist 
rising, and the unsettled condition of affairs abroad, all im- 
pelled him to remain by the side of her Majesty, and amongst 
the people whose sufferings he was anxious to alleviate. 

On the 1 2th of May the Queen gave a grand bal masque 
at Buckingham Palace, which is spoken of as " the Queen's 
Plantagenet Ball." The object of the ball was to endeavor 



I04 "queen's plantagenet ball." 

to give a stimulus to trade in London, which had gradually 
been getting worse. At the Palace on this brilliant occasion 
a past age was revived with great picturesqueness and 
splendor. Her Majesty appeared as Queen Philippa, con- 
sort of Edward III, and Prince Albert as Edward III himself; 
the costumes of those of the Queen's own circle belonging 
mostly to the same era. Fabulous sums were spent upon 
dresses, diamonds, and jewels, which could hardly have a 
direct effect upon the trade of the East End, though they 
undoubtedly did upon that of the West. Her Majesty's 
dress, however, was entirely composed of materials manu- 
factured at Spitalfields. In her crown she had only one 
diamond, but that was a treasure in itself, being valued at 
;^i 0,000. The leading feature of the ball, according to the 
journals of the day, was the assemblage and meeting of the 
Courts of Anne of Brittany and Edward III and Philippa. 
All the arrangements were made in exact accordance with 
the custom's of the period. 

About a fortnight after this pageant a grand ball was given 
in her Majesty's Theatre for the benefit of the Spitalfields 
weavers, at which the Queen was present with a brilliant 
circle. Fancy balls were also given at Stafford House and 
Apsley House for the same charitable object. 

Her Majesty's first visit to Scotland — the land for which 
she afterward came to entertain such affection — was paid in 
the year 1842. The Queen and Prince Albert, accompanied 
by the Duchess of Norfolk and the Earl of Morton, as lady 
and lord in waiting, and other members of the household, 
embarked at Woolwich in the " Royal George " yacht. Land- 
ing at Granton Pier, they proceeded direct to Dalkeith Palace, 
the splendid seat of the Duke of Buccleuch. The civic 



VISIT TO SCOTLAND. IO5 

authorities of Edinburgh, who did not anticipate so early an 
arrival, were not prepared for her Majesty's reception. At 
night the city was brilliantly illuminated. As the royal visit 
to the Scottish capital was one of national importance, Edin- 
burgh presented a spectacle such as had never before been 
witnessed. An immense concourse of people gathered to- 
gether from all parts of the country, journeying by steamer, 
rail, and stage coach, while some trudged on foot from the 
remotest districts of the North. 

Her Majesty yielded to the desire for a State procession 
through Edinburgh. Having taken the city, as it were, by 
surprise on her first entry, this new arrangement was made 
to meet the wishes of the people, and to compensate the civic 
authorities for their disappointment, when they were unable 
to give the Queen that right royal reception they had pre- 
pared for her. The State procession was of a most success- 
ful and gratifying character, and was described with great 
circumstantiality of detail in all the Scotch and English 
papers. 

The Queen set out from Dalkeith Palace about half-past 
ten o'clock a. m. Around her carriage were the Royal 
Company of Archers. Her Majesty wore a tartan plaid of 
the Royal Stuart pattern. As the Queen entered the pre- 
cincts of the royal grounds a salute was fired from the 
Castle. Amidst the loud cheers of the people the proces- 
sion moved up the Canongate and the High Street to the 
Cross, where the city barrier was erected. Here the magis- 
tracy were assembled to present the keys of the city to 
the Sovereign, and the crowd was excessive. There were 
also drawn up at this spot the members of the Celtic Society, 
in the full costume of their respective clans. They saluted the 



I06 CROWN JEWEL OFFICE. 

Queen with their claymores in true Highland fashion, and her 
Majesty made a gracious acknowledgment. The society then 
formed in the rear of the royal cortege, and escorted her 
Majesty to the Castle. The procession halted in front of the 
Royal Exchange, about fifty yards from the barrier, where 
the Lord Provost advanced, and after delivering a brief ad- 
dress, presented the keys of the city to her Majesty. 

The Queen, after receiving the keys, replied, with much 
dignity mingled with kindness of manner : " I return the 
keys of the city with perfect confidence into the safe keep- 
ing of the Lord Provost, Magistrates, and Council." After 
viewing the magnificent scene over the Firth of Forth from 
the Mortar Battery, the Queen proceeded to the Half-moon 
Battery, and thence to the Old Barrack Square. The Crown 
Jewel Office was next visited, where are deposited the re- 
galia of Scotland, which, after being lost for a long period, 
were recovered in 1818, chiefly through the instrumentality 
of Sir Walter Scott. Her Majesty was much interested in 
the insignia. Queen Mary's rooms were now visited, and 
here the Queen was accompanied by Prince Albert only. 
The chamber in which King James was born her Majesty 
regarded with special Interest. 

Everything of historical interest having been viewed, the 
Queen returned to the Castle gate, where she again entered 
her carriage. Amidst the loud cheering of the multitude she 
drove down the Castle hill. 

On leaving Edinburgh the royal party proceeded to Dal- 
'meny Park, where the Earl of Rosebery — the predecessor of 
the illustrious statesman who now bears that title — had pro- 
vided a sumptuous luncheon. It had been arranged that after 
the dejeuner the Queen should walk in the grounds which 




Coronation of Quben Victoria', June 28, 1838, 



AT DALMENY PARK. lOQ 

command a view of the Forth, the islands which stud it, and the 
heights beyond ; but the rain fell heavily. A great multitude 
of persons had assembled on the lawn, however, undeterred 
by the weather ; and in order not to disappoint them, her 
Majesty went to the library, whose windows opened upon the 
lawn, and advancing to an open window remained there for 
some time, amidst the most enthusiastic demonstrations of 
loyalty. In the afternoon the Queen and Prince Albert left 
Dalmeny Park for Dalkeith, passing through Leith, which 
was enfete^ and where her Majesty stopped to receive a civic 
address. 

Her Majesty held a levee in Dalkeith Palace which was 
attended by an extraordinary concourse of the nobility and 
gentry of Scotland. Holyrood House could not be used on 
the occasion, because of a contagious fever lately prevalent 
in the vicinity. The Queen received a number of deputa- 
tions, including one from the Church of Scotland, and in re- 
plying to the address of the latter she said : ** I acknowledge 
with gratitude the Inestimable advantages which have been 
derived from the ministrations of the Church of Scotland. 
They have contributed In an eminent degree to form the 
character of a loyal and religious people." The remainder 
of the Queen's Scotch visit was thoroughly enjoyed by the 
Sovereign and her husband. Leaving Dalkeith, they went 
to Queensferry, where they embarked in a royal steamer. 
Landing at North Ferry, In Fifeshire, they proceeded to Dup- 
plin Castle, where they dined with the Earl of Kinnoull. 
The Lord Provost and Town Council of Perth attended to 
present an address, and subsequently her Majesty drove 
into Perth, where a handsome triumphal arch of Grecian 
architecture had been erected in honor of her visit. The 



no A HUNDRED HIGHLANDERS. 

Queen dined and slept at Scone Palace, the seat of the Earl 
of Mansfield. Next morning, at the solicitation of the authori- 
ties of Perth, the Queen and Prince enrolled their names in 
the Guildry Books, in imitation of the precedents therein con- 
tained of King James VI and King Charles I. The following 
were the inscriptions : 

H)icu et /iDon Droit. 

VICTORIA R. 

Scone Palace, 
September ^th, 1842. 

Uteu unO 3fest. 

ALBERT. 

Scone Palace, 
September ^th, 1842. 

Taymouth Castle, the seat of the Marquis of Breadalbane, 
was next visited, and her Majesty's stay here was rendered 
full of interest. 

Previous to leaving Taymouth Castle, the Queen planted 
a fir and an oak tree in the grounds as a memorial of her 
visit. The royal party then embarked on Loch Tay, and 
were rowed up to Auchmore, a distance of sixteen miles. As 
the barges and boats proceeded slowly and majestically up 
the loch, they exhibited to the spectators a very beautiful sight. 

A picturesque scene took place when a hundred High- 
landers in the Drummond tartan, some armed with Lochaber 
axes, others with swords and bucklers, paraded before her 
Majesty. An old man known as Comrie of Comrie, who 
claimed to be hereditary standard-bearer of the Perth family, 
displayed the very flag which was rescued by his great-uncle, 
after it had been taken by King George's troops at the battle 



SCOTTISH DEVOTION. Ill 

of Culloden ; and he also wore the same claymore which did 
service on that occasion. 

The Queen was so deeply impressed with the heartiness 
of her reception by all classes of her Northern subjects that 
before leaving Scotland she caused the Earl of Aberdeen to 
write the following letter, in which she gave expression to her 
gratified feelings : ** The Queen cannot leave Scotland with- 
out a feeling of regret that her visit on the present occasion 
could not be further prolonged. Her Majesty fully expected 
to witness the loyalty and attachment of her Scottish subjects ; 
but the devotion and enthusiasm evinced in every quarter, 
and by all ranks, have produced an impression on the mind 
of herlVEajesty which can never be effaced." 

When Parliament assembled on the istof February, 1843, 
the Queen was unable, for the first time since her accession, 
to open it in person. But not long after this we find that 
she manifested her anxiety for the highest interests of the 
people by returning a gracious answer to an address for- 
warded to her at the instance of the philanthropic Lord 
Ashley (the Earl of Shaftesbury of honored memory), praying 
the Sovereign seriously to consider the best means of diffus- 
ing the blessings of a moral and religious education among 
the working classes. 

Another daughter was born to her Majesty at Bucking- 
ham Palace on the 25th of April. The infant Princess was 
christened on the 2d of June, and received the names of 
Alice Maud Mary. The child grew up to be an especial 
favorite with the English people, who sympathized deeply 
with her in the many sorrows which marked her married life. 

The first public statue of her Majesty which had been 
erected in any part of her dominions was unveiled at Edin- 



112 STATUE OF HER MAJESTY. 

burgh on the 24th of January, 1844. It was a colossal statue 
by Mr. (afterward Sir John) Steell,and it was placed in position 
on the colonnade of the Royal Institution, fronting Prince's 
Street. From the high elevation of the pedestal, the gigantic 
figure, which was nearly four times life size, assumed to the 
spectators almost natural proportions, and harmonized with 
the massive building on which it was placed. The whole 
composition was modeled on the severest principles of Grecian 
art, and it still remains a classic conception of much grandeur. 
Her Majesty is represented seated on a throne, with the 
diadem on her brow, while her right hand grasps the sceptre, 
and her left leans on the orb, emblematic of her extended 
sway. 

The last days of January were saddened for the Queen and 
her consort by the death of Prince Albert's father, the Duke 
of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, at the age of sixty years. 

On the I St of February the Queen opened Parliament in 
person. The Irish Repeal agitation was at this time causing 
much concern, and State trials were proceeding at Dublin. 
Daniel and John O'Connell and six other prisoners were 
charged, with conspiracy in endeavoring to obtain a repeal of 
the union between Great Britain and Ireland. Her Majesty, 
in receiving an address on the 2d of February from the Cor- 
poration of Dublin, said : " I receive with satisfaction the 
assurance that sentiments of loyalty and attachment to my 
person continue to be cherished by you. The legal proceed- 
ings to which you refer are now in progress before a com- 
petent tribunal, and I am unwilling to interrupt the adminis- 
tration of justice according to law." O'Connell and his fel- 
low-agitators were convicted, and sentenced to various terms 
of imprisonment ; but an appeal being made to the House of 



NICHOLAS, EMPEROR OF RUSSIA. Il3 

Lords, the judgment was reversed. The Repeal agitation, 
however, did not flourish after the trial. 

The great Court event of the year was the visit of the 
Emperor of Russia — the hard, cold, cruel, handsome, and 
imposing Nicholas. He was just in the prime of life, and 
struck every one by the grandeur of his bearing, though he 
must have thrown the officials of the royal household into a 
flutter, seeing that he slept upon straw, and always took 
with him a leathern case, which at every stage of the journey 
was filled with straw from the stables. Nicholas won the 
Queen's heart by his unstinted praise of her husband. The 
King of Saxony arrived at Buckingham Palace on the same 
day. Very scant notice had been given of the Emperor's 
visit, but her Majesty expressed a strong hope that he would 
take up his abode at Buckingham Palace, and this he did, 
after some days spent at Windsor. The Emperor paid visits 
to the various members of the royal family, and also to the 
Duke of Wellington, evincing the deepest interest in the 
veteran soldier. 

The Emperor, the King of Saxony, and Prince Albert 
witnessed the races at Ascot, and there was a grand military 
review in the Great Park at Windsor. The greatest enthu- 
siasm was manifested for the Iron Duke, who really attracted 
more attention than the Czar ; but Wellington took off his 
hat, and waving it in the air, said to the people very earnestly : 
" No, no ! not me — the Emperor ! the Emperor !" The people 
then warmly cheered the Czar. During the inspection of 
the troops the Emperor was most keenly interested in the 
17th Lancers and 47th Foot. He surveyed them minutely, 
saying that he wished to see the regiments which had fought 
and gained England's battles in India. On the approach of 
7 



114 ROYALLY ENTERTAINED. 

the Life Guards the Duke of WeUington put himself at the 
head of his regiment, and advanced with it before her Ma- 
jesty ; the spectacle calling forth an exhibition of unusual 
enthusiasm. In spite of the immense number of spectators 
present, not a single accident occurred during the day. 

On the evening of this day, and for several succeeding 
days, there were splendid festivities at Windsor and at Buck- 
ingham Palace, and on the 8th of June the Duke of Devon- 
shire gave a grand fete to the Emperor and the King of 
Saxony at his Grace's suburban villa at Chiswick. The Queen, 
Prince Albert, the Czar, and the King subsequently attended 
the opera at Her Majesty's Theatre, which was crowded in 
every part. On the loth the Emperor Nicholas left London 
on his return to Russia. During his stay in England the 
Emperor's private gifts had been on the most lavish and 
princely scale, no one being forgotten. 

The Queen gave birth to a son on the 6th of August at 
Windsor Castle. The event was scarcely expected so soon, 
and only three hours before her Majesty had signed the 
commission for giving the royal assent to various bills. The 
Queen's happy delivery was announced in the Times in pre- 
cisely forty minutes after it had taken place at Windsor 
Castle ; and as this was the first occasion on which the elec- 
tric telegraph had been so used, the rapid publication of the 
news was considered very surprising. The young Prince 
was christened on the 6th of September in the names of Alfred 
Ernest Albert, being afterward created Duke of Edinburgh. 

The Queen had intended visiting Ireland in the summer 
of 1844, ''^''-it the unsettled condition of the country rendered 
this unadvisable, and a second visit to Scotland took the 
place of the projected Irish tour. Therefore, early in Sep- 



OFF FOR SCOTLAND. II5 

tember, her Majesty, accompanied by the Prince and the 
little Princess Royal, set out for Scotland. All along the way 
there was an enthusiastic series of receptions from the loyal 
Scotch. 

The Queen was able to leave behind her almost entirely 
the heavier cares of her position, and she devoted herself to 
the rural recreations which had such a charm both for her- 
self and her husband. Journeys up the hills on Scotch ponies 
was a favorite recreation with the royal pair. The Queen on 
these occasions proved herself a bold and expert horse- 
woman, disdaining the broad, winding paths of the hills, and 
venturing upon more direct roads which presented obstacles 
that would have deterred many other persons, including even 
natives of the district. 

When the time came for journeying south again the Queen 
and her consort left Scotland with great regret; they had 
begun to appreciate the beauty and grandeur of its scenery, 
and the charms of solitude which this " land of the mountain 
and the flood " afforded so abundantly. But they had after- 
ward a permanent reminder of their visit to Blair Athole, for 
the ponies ridden by the Queen, Prince Albert, and the Prin- 
cess Royal — and to which they had become much attached — 
were presented to their royal riders by Lord Glenlyon. 

Louis Philippe, King of the French, arrived at Windsor 
Castle on the 8th of October, on a visit to her Majesty. It 
was an event of great national interest and importance, for 
that distinguished yet unfortunate Sovereign was the first 
and only French monarch who had ever landed in the British 
islaads on a visit of peace and amity. The British nation 
hailed him with the heartiest demonstrations of welcome. 
Prince Albert went down to Portsmouth to receive him. The 



Il6 VISIT OF LOUIS PHILIPPE. 

King was awaiting his arrival, and eagerly advancing, he em- 
braced the Prince, and saluted him in the continental fashion, 
on each cheek. The Prince returned the monarch's greeting 
with warmth, though restraining himself to the English modes. 
As the King landed, a volley of cheers went up from the 
spectators, whereupon his Majesty bowed repeatedly on all 
sides, laying his hand on his heart. 

When the King and Prince reached Windsor Castle they 
found the Queen waiting for them in the grand vestibule 
fronting George IV's gate. The Queen advanced to the 
threshold, and in the most cordial manner extended her arms 
whilst Louis Philippe and the Prince descended from the car- 
riage. The King's " embrace of the Queen was very paren- 
tal." During the visit the King was made Knight of the 
Order of the Garter. *' The ceremony must have been preg- 
nant with suggestions to all present who remembered that 
the Order had been instituted by Edward III after the battle 
of Cressy, and that its earliest knights were the Black Prince 
and his companions, whose prowess had been so fatal to 
France." 

London saw a splendid show on the 28th of October, 
when the Queen opened the new Royal Exchange. The 
procession was magnificent, and very similar to the one at 
the coronation. From Buckingham Palace to the Exchange 
every place, hole, or cranny which commanded the smallest 
view of the route was crammed to suffocation. The Lord 
Mayor and Aldermen met the Queen at Temple Bar at twelve 
and escorted her to her destination. On alighting at the Ex- 
change she walked round the colonnade, and through the 
inner court. She then went upstairs, and walked through 
the second banqueting-hall to show herself; subsequently 




QUEEN ALEXANDRA. 




Die l{at[erm=U?itttrie Dtctorta 

TEE DOWAGER EMPllESS VICTOIUA. 



ROYALTY AT BRIGHTON. I I 7 

receiving an address in a small room prepared for the pur- 
pose. After the address she created the Lord Mayor (Sir 
William Magnay) a baronet. A few hours before his lord- 
ship had been in the most pitiable distress, for in going to 
receive her Majesty he had put on an enormous pair of jack- 
boots to protect himself from the mud ; and as the Queen 
approached he was unable to get them off — or at least one 
of them. He had one on and one off just as the Sovereign 
was about to draw up at Temple Bar, and in an agony of 
fright he ordered the attendants, who were tugging at the 
immovable boot, to let it alone and to replace the other one, 
which they did. These boots he was compelled to wear until 
after the ceremony. 

After the opening of Parliament in February, 1845, the 
Queen and the Prince Consort went down to Brighton to 
make a short stay at the Pavilion. From thence they visited 
Arundel Castle and Buxted Park. During her stay at 
Brighton the Queen was exposed to great annoyance in con- 
sequence of the rude behavior of the crowd, who lay in 
wait to follow her in her walk from the Pavilion to the pier. 
She was very glad when the time came for taking possession 
of Osborne, which she and the Prince did on the 29th of 
March following. The park and grounds attached to this 
marine residence comprised upward of 300 acres, chiefly 
sloping to the east, and well stocked with noble timber. The 
views from Osborne are very extensive, commanding Ports- 
mouth, Spithead, etc. A new mansion was subsequently! 
built for the Queen in lieu of the old house. 

Her Majesty held a Court at Buckingham Palace on May 
2 1 St, to receive an address from the Lord Mayor and Cor- 
poration of Dublin, inviting her to visit Ireland. 



Il8 BALL AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE. 

On the 6th of June, at Buckingham Palace, the Queen gave 
a grand costume ball illustrating the period of George II. 
The precise period selected was the ten years from 1 740 to 
1750. The company numbered about 1,200, and amongst 
those present were the Duke and Duchess of Nemours and 
the Prince of Leiningen, then on a visit to her Majesty. 
Noblemen, ambassadors, statesmen, senators, and judges 
attended the ball. Ladies were most perplexed to fulfill ail 
the points of the costume of the period, and it was de rigueur 
that they should thus appear. " However, it was discovered 
that the powder made the complexion show more brilliant, 
and if the hoop disguised the figure, the stomacher displayed 
it; while both hoop and stomacher displayed the glowing 
jewelry, the rich and elegant lace, the splendid brocades, 
magnificent velvets, and gorgeous trimmings that were the 
pride of the evening." The men appeared in coats of velvet 
— crimson, black, or blue — adorned with gold or silver ; and 
powdered wigs were universal. Many v/ore the dresses of 
their old ancestors, copied from family portraits. The beauty 
of the ball was the Marchioness of Douro, daughter-in-law of 
the Duke of Wellington. 

In 1845 her Majesty set out with the Prince Consort on 
her first visit to Germany. Such a tour must have had spe- 
cial interest for her, seeing that Germany was not only her 
husband's country, but that of her mother also. For the 
first time in her many excursions by sea and land the Queen 
had unfavorable weather. Her Majesty and Prince Albert 
disembarked at Antwerp, and went on to Malines, where 
they were met by the King and Queen of the Belgians, who 
escorted them through their dominions to Verviers and Aix- 
la-Chapelle, where the King of Prussia was in readiness to 



VISIT TO THE "FATHERLAND." II9 

receive them. Then came in succession Cologne, Bonn, and 
the royal palace of Bruhl. At Bonn the Queen v/as quite 
pleased to meet with some of her husband's old professors. 
Of the Prince's " former little house " her Majesty writes : 
"It was such a pleasure for me to be able to see this house. 
We went all over it, and it is just as it was — in no way 
altered. We went into the little bower in the garden, from 
which you have a beautiful view." 

One can imagine the delight with which the Prince would 
point out to his wife the various places dear to his youth, as 
well as the many other romantic spots in which this part of 
Germany abounds. Then also there were the people of the 
** fatherland " to interest them both. The King of Prussia 
behaved admirably, and soon made the Queen feel perfectly 
at home in her new surroundings. In proposing the Queen's 
health at a grand banquet in the pakice of Bruhl his Majesty 
said: ''There is a word of inexpressible sweetness to British 
as well as to German hearts. Thirty years ago it echoed on 
the heights of Waterloo from British and German tongues, 
after days of hot and desperate fighting, to mark the glorious 
triumph of our brotherhood in arms. This day, after a peace 
of thirty years' duration — the fruit of those arduous days — 
it resounds in the lands of Germany, on the banks of our noble 
Rhine. The word is Victoria. Gentlemen, empty your glasses 
to the bottom. The toast is, ' Her Majesty, the Queen of 
Great Britain and Ireland. Long live Queen Victoria and 
her illustrious consort' " 

While in Germany the royal visitors witnessed the inaugu- 
ration of Beethoven's statue at Bonn, and in the evening 
there was a splendid spectacle on the river ; Cologne was 
illuminated, and the Rhine was made one vast Jbu de joie. 



I20 INNUMERABLE CELEBRATIONS. 

The visit of the Queen and Prince was marked by fetes 
and celebrations innumerable, and finally, when it came time 
for them to return home, there was a very affectionate 
parting between the old and the young monarch, after 
which the Queen's yacht stood for England. On the loth 
her Majesty and the Prince reached their home at Osborne, 
where a joyous welcome awaited them as they "drove up 
straight to the house after landing ; for there, looking like 
roses, so well and so fat, stood the four children." The 
Queen has left it on record that this visit to Germany was 
one of the most exquisite periods of enjoyment in her whole 
life. 

The ensuing winter of 1845-6 was a disastrous one in 
some respects in our domestic history. In England the rail- 
way mania had hurried many into ruin, while in Ireland there 
was fearful destitution through the failure of the potato crop. 
The settlement of the great Corn Law question was seen to 
be imperative toward the close of 1845, ^"*^ Sir Robert Peel 
resigned office in order that Lord John Russell and the 
Whigs might come in and grapple with this long-vexed ques- 
tion. Lord John was unable to form a Ministry, however, 
and on the 5th of December Sir Robert Peel returned to 
power. He courageously resolved to abolish the Corn Laws, 
and although by doing so he incurred great odium with his 
party, the country generally acknowledged with gratitude his 
ereat and disinterested services. The obnoxious Corn Laws 
were swept away, and Peel's action was more than justified 
by subsequent events. 

During the thick of the political conflict the Queen gave 
birth, at Buckingham Palace, on the 25th of May, to her third 
daughter, Princess Helena, afterward Princess Christian. 



IRISH COEkClON BILL. I^I 

In the closing days of June the Government was defeated 
on its Irish Coercion bill, a measure to check assassination 
in Ireland, and on the 6th of July the Prime Minister resigned 
ofiftce. The Queen felt the parting with Peel and Lord 
Aberdeen most keenly. Writing to King Leopold on the 
7th she said : " Yesterday was a very hard day for me. I had 
to part from Sir Robert Peel and Lord Aberdeen, who are 
irreparable losses to us and to the country. They were both 
so much overcome that it quite upset me. We have in them 
two devoted friends; we felt so safe with them. Never 
during the five years that they were with me did they ever 
recommend a person or a thing that was not for my or the 
country's best ; and never for the party's advantage only. . . . 
I cannot tell you how sad I am to lose Aberdeen ; you cannot 
think what a delightful companion he was. The breaking-up 
of all this intercourse during our journeys is deplorable." 
But the Queen had still one person on whose counsel she 
could rely, and one far dearer to her than her Ministers. 
" Albert's use to me, and I may say to the country, by his 
firmness and sagacity in these moments of trial, is beyond all 
belief." 

The infant Princess was christened at Buckingham Palace 
on the 25th of July in the names of *' Helena Augusta Vic- 
toria." 

The year 1847 opened very gloomily. The commercial 
depression from which the country had been suffering had 
been further aggravated, while the ravages of the potato 
disease had reduced the people of Ireland to a terrible con- 
dition of starvation and disease. Consequently when her 
Majesty opened Parliament in person on the 19th of January, 
the royal speech was not a cheerful document. Fortunately, 



122 JENNY LIND IN LONDON. 

foreign affairs were In a satisfactory condition, and as regards 
the home difficulties, the government of Lord John Russell 
took prompt measures for relieving the distress in Ireland. 
They also brought in a new Irish Poor Law measure, which 
was quickly passed, together with other remedial legislation. 

But the season in London, always Inexorable, was not 
without its gayeties. The theatre saw the reappearance of 
Fanny Kemble, whilst at the Italian Opera a new prima 
donna appeared, concerning whom the Queen thus wrote : 
*' Her acting alone Is worth going to see, and the piano way 
she has of singing, Lablache says, is unlike anything he ever 
heard. He is quite enchanted. There Is a purity in her sing- 
ing and acting which Is quite indescribable." The new 
operatic star which thus suddenly came upon the horizon was 
that popular favorite, Jenny Lind. 

The Queen resolved upon spending the early autumn of 
1847 i'^ Scotland. This was partlydueto the pleasure derived 
from her previous visit, and the beneficial effect It had upon 
her health, and also to the strong desire of the Prince Con- 
sort to enjoy the really fine sport of chasing the red-deer in 
their native forests. 

The Queen and Prince had a true Highland reception. For 
four weeks this life of enjoyment and perfect retirement 
lasted, but upon this period of calm and peaceful repose in 
the Highlands was shortly to supervene one of profound 
care and anxiety. 



HAPPY YEARS 

OF 

WEDDED BLISS. 



CHAPTER VI. 

''T^HE year 1848 was one of great upheaval amongst the 
X States of Europe. France was the first to feel the 
force of the revolutionary movement. The policy of Louis 
Philippe, and especially his intrigues with a view to Bourbon 
aggrandizement, had long rendered the King very unpopu- 
lar. The public discontent now found vent in revolution, 
and the dynasty was swept away and a republic proclaimed. 

The effects of the revolutionary spirit were felt in other 
countries — Italy, Spain, Prussia, and Austria ; but in Belgium 
the attempts to incite the people against the monarchy 
proved abortive, and the throne of her Majesty's uncle re- 
mained secure. This, however, was not the case with her 
brother and brother-in-law, the Princes of Leiningen and 
Hohenlohe, who were compelled to abdicate their seignorial 
rights. 

In the midst of the general solicitude for the peace of Eng- 
land during this time of convulsion, the Queen was delivered 
of her fourth daughter, the Princess Louise. The royal 
infant was christened at Buckingham Palace on the 13th of 
May following, receiving the names of Louise Caroline 
Alberta. 

By way of showing the immense labor which devolved upon 
the Queen and Prince Albert, as well as the Foreien Secre- 
tary, during this year of trial and anxiety, it is stated thai 



124 feALMORAL CASTLE, SCOTLAND. 

" no less that twenty-eight thousand dispatches were re- 
ceived by or sent out from the Foreign Office." 

The Queen prorogued Pariiament in person on the 5th of 
September, and on the afternoon of the same day her 
Majesty and the Prince Consort, accompanied by the Prince 
of Wales, the Princess Royal, and Prince Alfred, embarked 
in the royal yacht at Woolwich for Scotland. Their destina- 
tion on this occasion was Balmoral Castle. " It is a pretty 
little castle in the old Scottish style," remarked the Queen, in 
her journal. " There is a picturesque tower and garden in 
the front, with a high wooded hill ; at the back there is a 
wood down to the Dee, and the hills rise all around." 

Balmoral Castle is a reddish-granite structure in the 
baronial style. Over the principal entrance are the coat-of- 
arms, and two bas-reliefs which indicate the character of the 
building. One of these shows a hunting-lodge under the 
patronage of St. Hubert, supported by St. Andrew of Scot- 
land and St. George of England, and the other represents 
groups of men engaged in Highland games. Inside the 
house is full of relics of the chase, and of expeditions made 
in the district. The furniture is Scotch, with hangings and 
carpets representative of various royal tartan sets. The 
rooms are, of course, not so large as in the royal palaces 
proper ; but they are commodious enough for the restricted 
circle which has always gathered there with her Majesty. The 
ball-room is a long and picturesque hall, one story in height, 
bearing numberless Highland devices on its walls. The 
yearly ball was an event which many looked forward to, in 
addition to the royal children, some of whom at least greatly 
distinguished themselves in Highland reels. 

Crathie Church is a little white building standing upon a 




ROYAL DIADEM. 




ROYAL CROWN. 




JUDGE HUDDLESTON OF THE SUPREICE CoUf? OF ENGLAND. 



HAPPIEST OF ROYAL HOMES. 1 25 

green and wooded eminence, and looking across the Dee to 
Balmoral. The gallery of the church, which is the principal 
seated part of the structure, contains the Queen's pew and 
that of the Prince of Wales. There are two stained windows 
in the building, the gifts of her Majesty in memory of her 
sister, the Princess Hohenlohe, and of Dr. Norman Macleod. 
The finest orators in the Church of Scotland have preached 
in this little building, and amongst their auditors have been 
celebrated British statesmen and men of letters. Near to the 
Castle are the Queen's cottages, whose occupants are ad- 
mirably looked after, and who possess many reminders of a 
concrete character of her Majesty and her family. 

There is little wonder, especially considering its associa- 
tions with the Prince Consort, that the Queen came to love 
Balmoral dearly. It was one of the happiest of royal homes, 
and it has become endeared to her Majesty by her annual resi- 
dences there for upwards of thirty years. It was the birth- 
place of many hopes, as it was the home of unclouded 
happiness for an all too brief period, and its memories are 
now the most ineffaceable from the Queen's affections as she 
looks back through a long vista to, the time when she first 
visited it with the beloved partner of her life. 

During her Majesty's stay in Scotland important events 
were transpiring abroad. England was comparatively quiet, 
though the sudden death of the Conservative leader, Lord 
George Bentinck, caused great sensation. In France, Prince 
Louis Napoleon had been elected by no fewer than five de- 
partments to the new French Chamber, while news came 
from Frankfort of a terrible riot in which two members of 
the German States Union were assassinated. 

In the ensuing month of November Lord Melbourne, the 



126 VISIT TO IRELAND. 

Queen's first Minister — and a man to whom she had become 
much attached, in consequence of his almost paternal devo- 
tion to her in her early youth — passed away, having been for 
some time in seclusion. Her Majesty wrote concerning him : 
" Truly and sincerely do I deplore the loss of one who was a 
most disinterested friend of mine, and most sincerely 
attached to me." 

The Queen's long-expected visit to Ireland was paid in 
August, 1849. Her Majesty and Prince Albert, with their 
four children, embarked at Cowes on the ist, in the royal 
yacht, and steered to the westward, convoyed by a squadron 
of four steamers. A royal progress was made through the 
city, the Queen being much struck by the noisy but good- 
natured crowd, and by the beauty of the women. The royal 
squadron next sailed to Waterford, and from there went on 
to Dublin. As the vessels came into Kingstown Harbor, 
and the Queen appeared on deck, there was a burst of 
cheering, renewed again and again, from some 40,000 spec- 
tators. 

Intense enthusiasm filled the hearts of the Irish people and 
her Majesty's progress from place to place was marked by ex- 
pressions of great joy. Her Majesty was greatly delighted 
with her reception by the Irish people of all classes, and 
before leaving the country she resolved upon creating her 
eldest son " Earl of Dublin," a title which had been borne by 
her honored father. 

The new London Coal Exchange was opened in October, 
and the Queen had intended to perform the ceremony in 
person, but a slight attack of chicken-pox prevented her. 
Prince Albert took her place, and was accompanied by the 
Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal, who made their first 



DOWAGER QUEEN ADELAIDE. 1 27 

appearance in public on this occasion. The illustrious party- 
went down the Thames in the royal barge, and there was a 
grand water pageant such as had not been seen for almost a 
century. 

The Dowager Queen Adelaide died on the 2d of Decem- 
ber, at her country seat of Bentley Priory, at the age of fifty- 
seven years. Toward the close of November Queen Victoria 
had paid her last visit to her, afterward writing to King 
Leopold : " There was death written in that dear face. It was 
such a picture of misery, of complete prostration, and yet she 
talked of everything. I could hardly command my feelings 
when I came in, and when I kissed twice that poor dear thin 
hand. I love her so dearly. She has ever been so maternal in 
her affection to me. She will find peace and a reward for 
her many sufferings." In accordance with the Queen 
Dowager's wishes, there was no embalming, lying in state, 
or torchlight procession, and she was buried at Windsor 
without any pomp or state. 

Her Majesty's third son and seventh child was born on the 
1st of May, 1850, and as this, was the birthday of the Duke 
of Wellington, it was determined to give him the same name, 
Arthur. Writing to Baron Stockmar, the Queen said : " It is 
a singular thing that this so much wished-for boy should be 
born on the old Duke's eighty-first birthday. May that, and 
his beloved father's name, bring the poor little infant happi- 
ness and good fortune." The child was christened "Arthur 
William Patrick Albert." 

Preparations were at this time being made for the Great 
Exhibition. Prince Albert favored Hyde Park as the place for 
holding the Exhibition, but his idea did not meet with much 
favor, and there was considerable discussion over the matter. 



128 THE GREAT EXHIBITION. 

The Queen and the Prince experienced considerable relief 
when the House of Commons decided that Hyde Park should 
be the site of the projected Great Exhibition. 

The greatest domestic event of 1851, and indeed of many 
years, was the opening of the Great Exhibition in Hyde 
Park. This precursor of so many international festivals was 
held in the palace of glass designed by Sir Joseph Paxton, 
who was kniofhted for his services. Prince Albert chose the 
motto of the Exhibition — " The earth is the Lord's and the 
fulness thereof ; the world, and they that dwell therein ;" and 
from all quarters of the universe came goods and treasure 
to the great central storehouse, which peacefully represented 
the progress of the human race in art, science, industry, and 
commerce. Never had such a triumph been witnessed in all 
that concerns the internal welfare and advancement of States 
and Empires. 

The inaugural ceremony took place on the ist of May, 
and it is almost superfluous to say that it was a most impos- 
ing sight. The Queen and Prince Albert and all the royal 
children, as well as the Duchess of Kent and the young 
Count Gleichen, were present. The park presented a won- 
derful spectacle, and the scene in the streets recalled that of 
the coronation. 

A grand fancy ball was given by the Queen at Bucking- 
ham Palace on the 13th of June. All the characters and 
costumes were drawn from the Restoration period. Her 
Majesty and the Prince were superbly dressed. The Duke 
of Wellington was In the scarlet and gold uniform of the 
period ; while Mr. Gladstone — mirabile didu — appeared as 
a Judge of the High Court of Admiralty in Charles's reign, 
"in a velvet coat turned up with blue satin, ruffles and 



EXHIBITION INCIDENTS. 1 29 

collar of old point, black breeches and stockings, and shoes 
with spreading bows." 

The city also gave a grand ball at the Guildhall on the 9th 
of July, to celebrate the opening of the Exhibition. The 
Queen and Prince Albert, and large numbers of the aristoc- 
racy, were present. The great hall in which the ball took 
place was splendidly fitted up. There was a striking array 
of banners emblazoned with the arms of the nations and cities 
represented at the Palace in Hyde Park, while the compart- 
ments beneath the balconies were filled with pictorial repre- 
sentations of the finest and most striking contributions in the 
Exhibition. After the dancing, supper was served in the 
crypt, which was made to represent an old baronial hall. 

The Queen paid a farewell visit to the Exhibition on the 
14th of October, and shortly afterward it was dismantled. 
During the five and a half months it had remained open, the 
visitors had been 6,200,000, and the total receipts ;i^5co,ooo. 

A great sensation was caused the following winter by the 
issue of a Papal Bull redistributing the Roman Catholic 
bishoprics in England, and placing a Cardinal Archbishop at 
their head. The Pope's policy was strongly resented by the 
Prime Minister, Lord John Russell, who introduced the 
Ecclesiastical Titles bill. The Universities of Oxford and 
Cambridge presented formal protests to the Queen, which 
her Majesty acknowledged. Like many more sober judges 
of the question, the Queen felt that the Pope could do no 
harm ; he might do what he pleased, but he could never make 
England Catholic, and this sensible view prevailed through- 
out the country as soon as the momentary excitement passed 
away. 

In August, 1852, the Queen received intelligence of the 



130 "the great duke. 

death of the greatest of her subjects. The illustrious Welling- 
ton, " the great Duke," had passed away at Walmer, after a 
few hours' illness, and with no suffering, at the patriarchal 
age of eighty-three. Keenly did her Majesty feel this great 
loss, for the Duke had in a measure held toward her the 
triple capacity of father, hero, and friend. In the plenitude 
of her grief, and with an exaggeration of language which will 
be understood in consequence, she spoke of him as " Eng- 
land's, or rather Britain's, pride, her glory, her hero, the 
greatest man she had ever produced." 

Thousands of British hearts, however, echoed the Queen's 
sentiment when she wrote that "one cannot think of this 
country without * the Duke,' our immortal hero !" Full justice 
was done by the Queen in the following passage to the great 
soldier's character: "In him centred almost every earthly 
honor a subject could possess. His position was the highest 
a subject ever had — above party — looked up to by all — re- 
vered by the whole nation — the friend of the Sovereign — and 
how simply he carried these honors ! With what singleness 
of purpose, what straightforwardness, what courage, were all 
the motives of his actions guided. The Crown never pos- 
sessed — and I fear never will — so devoted, loyal, and faithful 
a subject, so staunch a supporter!" 

The great Duke was laid to rest in St. Paul's Cathedral, the 
funeral being such as had never before been celebrated for 
any Englishman. At the close of the funeral rites in the 
Cathedral the body was lowered into the vault amid the 
solemn strains of the " Dead March." A sense of depression 
and personal loss settled like a pall over the vast assembly. 
" Verily a prince and a great man had fallen in Israel !" 

In December, 1852, the Derby- Disraeli Government fell 



A DISASTROUS FIRE. I3I 

upon its Budget, which was attacked with great force by Mr. 
Gladstone. Lord Aberdeen became Prime Minister, and his 
Ministry included many of the leading Whigs and PeeHtes, 
Mr. Gladstone being Chancellor of the Exchequer for the 
first time. Across the Channel the French Empire had just 
been declared, and Louis Napoleon had made his public entry 
into Paris as Emperor. 

On the 19th of March, 1853, a disastrous fire broke out in 
Windsor Castle, which at one time placed that magnificent 
structure and the whole of its contents in jeopardy. Fortu- 
nately, the flames were subdued and the injury was confined to 
the ceilings of the dining-room in the Prince of Wales's Tower, 
and two floors of bed-rooms immediately over it, which were 
practically destroyed. The fire was supposed to have origi- 
nated from the heating of the flues. The Court was at 
Windsor at the time, and the Queen, in writing upon the fire to 
the King of the Belgians, said : " Though I was not alarmed, 
it was a serious affair, and an acquaintance with what a fire 
is and with its necessary accompaniments, does not pass from 
one's mind without leaving a deep impression. For some time 
it was very obstinate, and no one could tell whether it would 
spread or not. Thank God, no lives were lost." The prin- 
cipal treasures in the State rooms were removed in safety on 
the announcement of the outbreak. 

The eighth child of her Majesty, and her fourth son, was 
born at Buckingham Palace on the 7th of April. He was 
named Leopold George Duncan Albert. 

That royalty is subject to the ordinary ills of humanity was 
proved early in July, when various members of the Queen's 
family were attacked with measles. The Prince of Wales 
was the first sufferer, but he was quickly convalescent ; Prince 



132 LIFE AT OSBORNE. 

Albert suffered more virulently ; the Princess Royal and the 
Princess Alice took the infection mildly, and the Queen also 
suffered from a very mild attack of the disorder. All happily 
recovered without any serious consequences ; but the disease 
was subsequently conveyed by the Queen's visitors to the 
Courts of Hanover and Belgium. 

Her Majesty held a grand naval review at Spithead on the 
nth of August, and there were present with her as specta- 
tors the Prince of Prussia, the Crown Prince and Princess of 
Wiirtemburg, and three Russian Archduchesses. The sight 
was splendid, as the noblest vessels in the British fleet passed 
majestically along, and afterward engaged in mimic warfare. 

Her Majesty's birthday was this year spent at Osborne, 
and to commemorate the occasion the royal children were 
presented with the Swiss cottage in the grounds for their 
own youthful use and behoof. Undeterred by wars and 
rumors of wars, the young Princes and Princesses enjoyed 
themselves exceedingly. Each had a flower and vege- 
table garden, green-houses, hot-houses, and forcing-frames, 
nurseries, tool-houses, and even a carpenter's shop. All 
worked at gardening con amore. On this juvenile property 
there was also a building, the ground floor of which was 
fitted up as a kitchen, with pantries, closets, dairy, and larder, 
and the young Princesses might sometimes be seen arrayed 
a la cuisiniere, floured to the elbows, and deep in the 
mysteries of pastry-making, or cooking the vegetables from 
their own gardens, preserving, pickling, baking, etc. The 
Queen resolved to give all her children a useful training. 
She further taught them to love and appreciate Nature by 
keeping up for their benefit a museum of natural history, 
furnished with curiosities collected by the royal party in their 




fw ji I ^ , ' , t V . I .„„ii -if V > 




MAJOR-GENERAL LORD KITCHENER, 



INTEREST IN WAR NEWS. t^$ 

rambles and researches. The children were taught the 
structure of animals, plants, and birds. 

A thoroughly friendly alliance having been established be- 
tween England and France, Prince Albert went over to Paris 
in September, on a special visit of some days to the Emperor 
Napoleon. Shortly after his return the Court proceeded to 
Balmoral, where the news reached it of the victory of the Alma. 

All the interest of the country now centred in the war 
news, the Queen sharing the feeling of anxiety in all its in- 
tensity. In October came the ever-memorable charge of the 
Light Brigade at Balaklava, and on the 5th of November the 
brilliant but costly victory of Inkermann. Then ensued a 
disastrous period of mismanagement in the Crimea. Her 
Majesty thus wrote to Lord Raglan: "The sad privations 
of the army, the bad weather, and the constant sickness are 
causes of the deepest concern and anxiety to the Queen and 
Prince. The braver her noble troops are, the more patiently 
and heroically they bear all their trials and sufferings, the 
more miserable we feel at their long continuance. The Queen 
trusts that Lord Raglan will be very strict in seeing that no 
unnecessary privations are incurred by any negligence of 
those whose duty it is to watch over their wants." But the 
serious blundering and mismanagement continued, and the 
only light in the gloom was the noble-hearted service r en- 
dered by Florence Nightingale and the ladies who went out 
with her to the "East as nurses. 

A Council relating to the Crimean War was held at Wind- 
sor on the 20th of April. The Queen was present, and took 
such a profound interest in public affairs that she said it was 
one of the most interesting scenes she was ever present at, 
and one which she would not have missed for the world. 



136 DISTRIBUTION OF MEDALS. 

A touching scene was witnessed on the 2 1 st of May, in 
front of the Horse Guards, when her Majesty distributed 
medals to some of the heroes of the war in the East. Many 
of these gallant soldiers had been sadly injured and mutilated 
in their country's cause, and some were so weak that they 
could scarcely stand to receive the medals. Tears of gratifi- 
cation stood in their eyes, that they should receive these 
honorable distinctions from the Queen's own hands. Some 
of the officers were wheeled past her Majesty in Bath-chairs, 
and one of these was young Sir Thomas Troubridge, who had 
had both feet carried off in battle, but who insisted on com- 
manding his battery to the end, only desiring his limbs to be 
raised in order to stop the loss of blood. The Queen leaned 
over Sir Thomas's chair and handed him his medal, telling 
him that she appointed him one of her aides-de-camp ; where- 
upon he replied, " I am amply repaid for everything." 

Four of the royal children — Prince Arthur and Prince 
Leopold, and the Princesses Louise and Alice — were attacked 
with scarlet fever in the summer. The disease was not very 
virulent, however, and fortunately did not spread. 

On the 1 8th of August her Majesty, accompanied by Prince 
Albert, the Prince of Wales, and the Princess Royal, went 
over to France on a visit to the Emperor and Empress. Never 
since the infant Henry VI was crowned at Paris in 1422 had 
an English Sovereign been seen in the beautiful French capi- 
tal. The Queen's visit was therefore a remarkable event, 
and it was doubly significant as marking the close of the 
"natural enmity " which for centuries had exasperated two 
hostile nations. 

One or two incidents during this visit are especially worthy 
of mention. In the course of a quiet drive which the Queen 



IN THE FRENCH CAPITAL. 1 37 

took with the Emperor, she explained her friendly attitude 
toward the Orleans family, which it had been said would dis- 
please the Emperor. She told him that they were her friends 
and relations, and that she could not abandon them in their 
adversity, though politics were never touched upon between 
her and them. The Emperor understood the situation and 
accepted the explanation. Prince Albert's birthday was cele- 
brated in the course of the visit, and the Emperor gave him 
a picture by Meissonier, and the Empress a mounted cup 
carved in ivory. 

A pleasing international incident occurred in December, 
1856, when the Queen accepted from the American people 
the gift of the "Resolute," one of the English ships which 
went to the North Seas in search of Sir John FrankHn. It 
had been abandoned in the ice, but had been discovered by 
an American vessel and conveyed across the Atlantic and 
refitted. 

On the last day of January, 1856, the Queen opened 
Parliament in person under auspicious circumstances. Two 
months later the war in the East was at an end and peace 
was signed. London and the provinces rejoiced greatly over 
the event. Though the troops had suffered severely in the 
Crimea, British pluck had once more triumphed, and, to- 
gether with her aUies, England had gained the victory over 
the Russians. But the struggle had been a fierce and deadly 
one, and peace was everywhere welcomed with enthusiasm. 

The Prince of Prussia had some time before made a pro- 
posal of marriage for the Princess Royal on behalf of his 
only son, Prince Frederick William, then twenty-four years 
of age. As the Princess was only fifteen, the Queen and her 
husband resolved that the question should not be forced, and 



138 MASSACRE AT CAWNPORE. 

that the Princess should see more of the Prince, and deter- 
mine for herself whether her affections tended in his direc- 
tion. The young wooer came to Balmoral on a visit, and 
all-potent love settled the difficulty, as he has done many 
times before and since. 

The approaching marriage of the Princess Royal having 
been announced to Parliament, the House of Commons, in a 
spirit of liberality which was gratifying to her Majesty, voted 
an annuity of ;^8,ooo to the Princess, and a dowry of 
^40,000. 

The Queen's fifth daughter, and last and ninth child, was 
born at Buckingham Palace on the 14th of April, 1857. The 
infant Princess received the names of Beatrice Mary Victoria 
Feodore. 

Prince Albert opened the Fine Arts Exhibition at Man- 
chester in May; and on the 25th of the following month the 
Queen formally conferred upon him, by letters-patent, the 
title of " Prince Consort." It was deemed advisable to take 
this step in order to ensure the due recognition of the 
Prince's rank at foreign Courts. 

The stay at Balmoral this season was overshadowed by 
the terrible news of the mutiny in India, and the massacre at 
Cawnpore. The intelligence of the dramatic relief of Luck- 
now alleviated the gloom a little, but the Queen was sorely 
distressed at the severity of the measures adopted to avenge 
the native cruelties. The mutiny was happily suppressed, 
and in the succeeding year Parliament rendered a great 
service to India herself by placing that vast dependency 
under the immediate control and government of the Queen. 

On the 25th of January, 1858, the Princess Royal was mar- 
ried to Prince Frederick William of Prussia, now the Crown 



PRINCESS ROYAL MARRIED. I 39 

Prince of Germany. For days before, the ceremony had been 
the common topic of conversation in society. The Princess 
was very popular, and the many splendid gifts she received 
were some slight evidence of this popularity. The marriage 
was celebrated in the Chapel Royal of St. James's, and all the 
members of the royal family were present, besides many 
other illustrious and noble guests. Following the wedding 
ceremony were numerous elaborate receptions, after which 
the bride and bridegroom left for Windsor, where they were 
to spend the honeymoon. 

The day was observed as a general holiday throughout the 
United Kingdom, and in the evening London was brilliantly 
illuminated. Only two days after the marriage the Court 
removed to Windsor, and her Majesty created her royal son- 
in-law a Knight of the Order of the Garter. On the 29th, 
the Court and the newly-married couple returned to Buck- 
ingham Palace. In the evening a State visit was paid to Her 
Majesty's Theatre, when "The Rivals" and "The Spital- 
fields' Weaver *' were performed. Addresses of congratula- 
tion poured in upon the bride and bridegroom. 

The first grandchild of the Queen was born at Berlin on 
the 27th of January, 1859. The infant Prince's mother was 
then only nineteen years of age, and his grandmother only 
forty. At his christening the child had forty-two godfathers 
and godmothers. 

Parliament was opened by the Queen In person on the 24th 
of January, and she was accompanied for the first time by the 
Princesses Alice and Helena. Her Majesty was not so oc- 
cupied in State matters as to forget art and literature. In 
the Academy Exhibition this year was Phillips's picture of the 
" Marriage of the Princess Royal," the Queen's property, and 



140 MANY DOMESTIC EVENTS. 

now hunof in the srreat corridor at Windsor Castle. The 
Queen and Prince were great admirers of Tennyson's new 
work, the Idylls of the King^ also of " George Eliot's " Adam 
BcdCy and at Osborne there hangs, as a pendant to a scene 
from the Faery Qiieene^ a representation of the young squire 
watching Hetty in the dairy. Another royal link with litera- 
ture was the appointment of Sir Arthur Helps as Clerk of 
the Privy Council in June. 

Many domestic events occurred during the year. The 
Prince of Wales went out to Canada, and had a most suc- 
cessful progress through the Dominion, with a visit to the 
American President at Washington. It was arranged that 
Prince Albert should also visit a distant English colony, and 
land at the Cape of Good Hope. It was hoped that these 
visits would strengthen still further the friendly bonds exist- 
ing between England and her dependencies. In July, a 
dauo^hter was born to the Prince and Princess Frederick 
William, at Potsdam, and the infant Princess received the 
baptismal names of Victoria Elizabeth Augusta Charlotte. 

Prince Louis of Hesse- Darmstadt came over to Engfland 
in December, and his betrothal to the Princess Alice came 
about during this visit. A heavy trial was impending over 
the royal house, though not that supreme sorrow which was 
also to be experienced before the close of this disastrous year. 
The Duchess of Kent, now in her seventy-sixth year, was 
showing alarming symptoms of breaking health. 

On the 15th of March, ** while resting quite happily in her 
arm-chair,'' the Duchess was seized with a shivering fit, 
from which serious consequences were apprehended. The 
Queen, the Prince Consort, and Princess Alice left Buckingham 
Palace immediately on receiving the information, and reached 



A HEAVY TRIAL. I4I 

Frogmore in two hours, which seemed to her Majesty like an 
age. The Prince Consort first went up to see the Duchess, 
and when he returned, with tears in his eyes, the Queen knew 
what to expect. She went up the staircase with a trembHng 
heart and entered her mother's room. The Queen writes 
thus in her diary : " I asked the doctors if there was no hope. 
They said they feared none whatever, for consciousness had 
left her." 

The Queen remained through the night by the side of the 
unconscious sufferer. In the morning her husband took her 
away for a short time, but she soon returned to her vigils. 
Holdinof the Duchess's hand, she sat down on a footstool and 
awaited the issue. "I fell on my knees," subsequently 
wrote her Majesty, " holding the beloved hand, which was 
still warm and soft, though heavier, in both of mine. I felt 
the end was fast approaching, as Clark went out to call 
Albert and Alice, I only left gazing on that beloved face, and 
feeling as if my heart would break. ... It was a solemn, 
sacred, never-to-be-forgotten scene. Fainter and fainter 
grew the breathing; at last it ceased, but there was no 
change of countenance, nothing ; the eyes closed as they had 
been for the last half-hour. . . . The clock struck half-past 
nine at the very moment. Convulsed with sobs, I fell on the 
hand and covered it with kisses. Albert lifted me up and 
took me into the next room— himself entirely melted into 
tears, which is unusual for him — and clasped me in his arms. 
I asked if all was over ; he said, * Yes.' I went into the 
room again, after a few minutes, and gave one look. My 
darling mother was sitting as she had done before, but wag 
already white. O God ! how awful, how mysterious ! But 
what a blessed end ! Her gentle spirit at rest, her sufferings 



142 "COMFORT MAMMA." 

over." The Prince Consort bade his daughter AHce " com- 
fort mamma," and the Princess Royal came over from Ger- 
many with the same fiUal purpose. 

Great respect was shown by the Houses of ParHament and 
the whole nation to the memory of the deceased. The 
Duchess bequeathed her property by will to the Queen, and 
appointed the Prince Consort sole executor. Her remains 
were interred in the vault beneath St. George's Chapel, 
Windsor, on the 25th of March. 

There was mourning at Osborne after the death of the 
Duchess, but more joyous events soon supervened. On re- 
turning to Buckingham Palace, in April, the Queen announced 
to the Privy Council the forthcoming marriage of the Princess 
Alice. Parliament voted a dowry of ;^30,ooo and an annuity 
of ;,^6,ooo to the Princess. Prince Louis came over at Whit- 
suntide, and had the misfortune to suffer from measles, 
which he communicated to Prince Leopold, who suffered 
severely, and with permanent ill effects. Other visitors in 
the summer were King Leopold and the Crown Prince and 
Princess of Prussia, with their children. These were suc- 
ceeded by the King of Sweden and his son. 

Fortunate for humanity it is that a veil hangs between it 
and the future. Little did any member of the happy royal 
party which now journeyed southward imagine that for one 
of its members, and that the noble and self-sacrificing Prince 
Consort himself, the last journey had been made to Balmoral, 
and that the ceremonials at Edinburgh were the last public 
acts which it was the will of Providence he should perform. 




o a 



C.2? 




2X>iIt)2lm 11. Deutfd?er Katfcr unb Kontg con pteugctt, 
William II. Emperor of Germany and King- of Prussia. 



TWENTY YEARS 

OF 

FAITHFUL SERVICE. 
CHAPTER VII. 

A PROFOUND interest attaches to all the details concern- 
ing the illness and death of the Prince Consort. Death 
often strikes waywardly ; it takes those who desire to live ; 
and leaves those who are ready to die. But in the case of 
the Prince the great enemy found him ready; he was perfectly 
prepared for the end. It is stated that not long before his 
fatal illness he said to the Queen: *T do not cling to life. 
You do; but I set no store by it. If I knew that those I love 
were well cared for, I should be quite ready to die to-morrow." 
It has never been accurately ascertained how the fever under 
which he sank originated; but it is strongly surmised that the 
first predisposing cause was the Prince's visit to Sandhurst 
on the 22nd of November. He went to inspect the buildings 
for the new Staff College and Military Academy, and as the 
day was one of incessant rain, he suffered from exposure and 
fatigue. Next day came news of the distressing death of the 
young King of Portugal, and other members of his family, 
from malignant typhoid fever; and this intelligence weighed 
heavily upon the Prince's spirits. 

On the 24th, which was Sunday, the Prince complained of 
being full of rheumatic pains. Next morning, although the 

(M5) 



146 A ROYAL INVALID. 

weather was cold and stormy, he travelled to Cambridge to 
visit the Prince of Wales. 

Though very ill, the Prince continued to go out, and wrapped 
in a fur-lined coat on one occasion he witnessed a review of 
the Eton College Volunteers. On Sunday, December ist, he 
walked out on the terrace, and attended service in the chapel, 
and notwithstanding his weakness he insisted upon "going 
through all kneeling." Low- fever was next mentioned, and 
this greatly discomposed her Majesty, especially as she remem- 
bered the terrible mortality from this cause in the Portuguese 
royal family. But in speaking of his own illness, the Prince said 
that it was well it was not fever, " as that, he felt sure, would 
be fatal to him." Lord Palmerston, who was not one as a 
rule to take gloomy views, was so alarmed by what he heard 
at the Castle, that he suggested the calling in of another 
physician. Dr. Jenner and Sir James Clark, however, reas- 
sured the Queen with the hope that the fever which was feared 
might pass off. 

There was now nothing left to do but to wait and hope for 
the best ; but unfortunately the Prince lost strength daily, and 
there would sometimes be " a strange wild look " upon his 
face. He would smile when his pet child. Princess Beatrice, 
was brought to him, but his most constant companion was the 
Princess Alice. The Prince had long resisted the entreaties 
of the medical men that he should undress and go to bed, and 
when at length he was prevailed upon to do this it was too 
late. Fever having unmistakably declared itself, knowledge 
of the unfavorable change could no longer be kept from the 
Queen, who was almost broken down by her grief. As she 
expressed it in her diary, she seemed to be constantly living 
" in a dreadful dream." The sufferer was moved on the 8th 



PRINCESS ALICE S FORTITUDE. 1 47 

of December into a more commodious room, and as fate 
would have it, it was the very room in which both William 
IV. and George IV. had died. At the Prince's request a 
piano was brought into the room, and his daughter Alice 
played two hymns — one of them, "A strong tower is our 
God." During the playing his eyes were filled with tears. 

The day was Sunday, and in a letter written by a member 
of the Queen's household shortly after the Prince Consort's 
death, the following touching passages described the events 
of the day : " The last Sunday Prince Albert passed on earth 
was a very blessed one for the Princess Alice to look back 
upon. He was very ill, and very weak, and she spent the 
afternoon alone with him, while the others were in church. 
He begged to 'have his sofa drawn to the window, that he 
might see the sky and the clouds sailing past. He then asked 
her to play to him, and she went through several of his favorite 
hymns and chorales. After she had played some time she 
looked round and saw him lying back, his hands folded as if 
in prayer, and his eyes shut. He lay so long without moving 
that she thought he had fallen asleep. Presendj'-, he looked 
up and smiled. She said: 'Were you asleep, dear papa?' 
' Oh, no,' he answered, * only I have such sweet thoughts.* 
During his illness his hands were often folded in prayer; and 
when he did not speak, his serene face showed that the 'happy 
thoughts ' were with him to the end 

"The Princess Alice's fortitude has amazed us all. She 
saw from the first that both her father's and mother's firmness 
depended on her firmness, and she set herself to the duty. 
He loved to speak openly of his condition, and had many 
wishes to express. He loved to hear hymns and prayers. 
He could not speak to the Queen of himself, for she could 



148 FAILING RAPIDLY. 

not bear to listen, and shut her eyes to the danger. His 
daughter saw that she must act differently, and she never let 
her voice falter, or shed a single tear in his presence. She 
sat by him, listened to all he said, repeated hymns, and then 
when she could bear it no longer, would walk calmly to the 
door, and rush away to her room, returning with the same 
calm and pale face, without any appearance of the agitation 
she had gone through. Of the devotion and strength of mind 
shown by the Princess Alice all through these trying scenes 
it is impossible to speak too highly. Her Royal Highness 
has indeed felt that it was her place to be a comfort and sup- 
port to her mother in this affliction, and to her dutiful care 
we may perhaps owe it that the Queen has borne her loss 
with exemplary resignation, and a composure which under so 
sudden and so terrible a bereavement could not have been 
anticipated." 

Returning to the last days of the Prince, the illness obtained 
such hold that Dr. Watson and Sir Henry Holland were called 
in. While the doctors regarded the case as grave, they by no 
means thought it hopeless. The great irritability and restless- 
ness of the Prince, which were characteristic symptoms of the 
disease, gave way to delight when the Queen was by his side. 
The patient would tenderly caress her cheek and whisper 
loving words in German, such as " Dear little wife, good little 
wife." By the 1 2th of December it became manifest that the 
fever and the shortness of breathing had increased. There 
was also a probability of congestion of the lungs, and on the 
13th Dr. Jenner was compelled to make known to Her 
Majesty that the illness was very serious. The Prince was 
wheeled into the next room, according to custom for the last 



BEGINNING OF THE END. 149 

few days, but he sat with his hands clasped, gazing abstractedly 
out of the window. 

Princess Alice now summoned the Prince of Wales from 
Cambridge on her own responsibility. Next morning, how- 
ever, Mr. Brown, of Windsor, the medical attendant of the 
Royal Family for twenty years, told the Queen that he thought 
the Prince much better, ** and that there was ground to hope 
the crisis was over." As Mr. Brown knew the Prince's consti- 
tution well, this news was felt to be very reassuring. Un- 
fortunately, the apparent improvement proved only to be that 
brief recovery which frequently comes before the end. As 
the Queen entered the sick room on the morning of the 14th, 
she was more than ever struck by the unearthly beauty upon 
the patient's face. His eyes were dazzlingly bright, but they 
were fixed on vacancy, and did not notice her entrance. The 
medical men were now extremely anxious, and to the Queen's 
inquiry whether she might go out for a breath of air, re- 
sponded: "Yes, just close by for a quarter of an hour." 
Going out upon one of the terraces with the Princess Alice, 
they heard a band playing in the distance, whereupon the 
Queen burst into tears and returned to the Castle. 

Although Sir James Clark said he had seen a recovery in 
worse cases, the Queen gave way to despair as she saw the 
dusky hue stealing over her husband's face. Some hours 
passed without further change. In the afternoon, after the 
Prince had been wheeled into the middle of the room, the 
Queen went up to him and saw with dismay that his life was 
fast ebbing away. The sufferer ejaculated in German his last 
loving words : **Good little wife," kissed her, and with a moan- 
ing sigh laid his head upon her shoulder. He dozed and 
wandered, speaking French sometimes. All his children who 
9 



150 THE CHAMBER OF DEATH. 

were in England came into the room, and one after the other 
took his hand, Prince Arthur kissing it as he did so, but the 
Prince made no sign of knowing them. He roused himself 
and asked for his private secretary, but again slept. Three 
of the gentlemen of the household, who had been much about 
the Prince's person, came up to him and kissed his hand with- 
out attracting his attention. All of them were overcome; 
only she who sat in her place by his side was quiet and still. 
So long as enough air passed through the laboring lungs the 
doctors would not relinquish the last grain of hope. Even 
when the Queen found the Prince bathed in the death-sweat, 
so near do life and death still run, that the attendant medical 
man ventured to say it might be an effort of nature to throw 
off the fever. 

But the last hope was at length abandoned. Not long be- 
fore the end came the Queen bent over her husband and said 
in German : " It is your little wife." The dying man recog- 
nized the voice, and answered by bowing his head and kissing 
the Queen. The sands of life were now rapidly running out. 
The Queen retired into the next room to weep, but she was 
soon sent for again into the chamber of death. She knelt by 
her husband's side, holding his hand, their children also kneel- 
ing around ; while the Queen's nephew, Prince Ernest 
Leiningen, the gentlemen of the Prince's suite, General Bruce, 
General Grey, Sir Charles Phipps, the Dean of Windsor and 
the Prince's favorite German valet, Lohlein, reverently 
watched for the end. The Prince died at a quarter to eleven 
o'clock, thus passing, in his forty-third year, to " where beyond 
these voices there is peace." 

The great bell of St. Paul's tolled at midnight, spreading 
the mournful news over the vast city. Early on the following 



PRINCE LEOPOLDS GRIEF. I5I 

day, which was Sunday, the sad intelligence was flashed by 
telegraph to all parts of the Empire. In the churches the 
omission of the Prince Consort's name from the Litany told 
many for the first time of the calamity which had fallen upon 
the nation. There was not a house in the land that was not 
saddened by the news, while the hearts of all the people went 
out to the Queen, who was thus made "a widow at forty- 
two." There had seemed such a long period of married 
happiness still in store for her, and now all was over. The 
sorrow which continued to be expressed recalled in its in- 
tensity the national mourning for the Princess Charlotte. 
"All diversities of social rank and feeling were united in one 
spontaneous manifestation of sympathy with the widowed 
Queen and the bereaved family ; for the loss of the husband 
and father was instinctively felt to be as grievous to the most 
exalted rank as to the humblest. The highest family in the 
realm had lost, indeed, with scarce a warning or a presenti- 
ment of woe, the manly soul, the warm heart, the steady 
judgment, the fertile mind, the tender voice and the firm hand 
that for twenty-one years had led and guided and cheered 
them through the trials and dangers inseparable from theirs, 
as from every position. Through a period of many trials he 
had been the dearest friend and most devoted servant of his 
Sovereign ; while it was known to her subjects that her 
Majesty fully valued the blessing of the love and care of so 
good and so wise a husband and companion." 

The news of her father's death was communicated to the 
Princess Royal at Berlin ; and it was also conveyed to Prince 
Leopold at Cannes under specially painful and melancholy 
circumstances. The young Prince was in great grief over the 
death of his governor, General Bowater, who had just expired 



152 A BROKEN-HEARTED QUEEN. 

in a chamber next to that of his Royal Highness, when a 
telegram came announcing the still more crushing calamity 
of the Prince Consort's death. The message was directed 
to the dead general. When it was opened it was found to 
contain the dreadful tidings: " Prince Albert is dead!" The 
anguish of Prince Leopold knew no bounds, and he called out 
in his desolation: "My mother! I must go to my mother." 
The child's sobs and tears were most touching, as he ex- 
claimed in his grief: '• My mother will bring him back again. 
Oh! I want my mother ! " 

At Windsor there was great solicitude for the Queen and 
the Princess Alice. For three days they suffered terribly, 
and her Majesty's weakness was so great that her pulse could 
scarcely be felt. The Princess afterwards said that she wond- 
ered how her mother and herself had lived through these first 
bitter days. The Queen "spoke constantly about God's 
knowing best, but showed herself broken-hearted." At 
length the country was relieved on learning that exhausted 
nature had somewhat recovered itself, and that the Queen 
had slept. 

Her Majesty was again and again urged to leave Windsor 
before the funeral, but she wept bitterly, and said her subjects 
were never advised to leave their homes or the remains of 
those lost to them. It was only when the safety of her children 
was pleaded as a means of giving them immunity from the 
fever, that she was prevailed upon to leave Windsor and 
repair to Osborne. Attired in her deep widow's mourning, 
she set out in the strictest privacy, accompanied only by the 
Prince of Wales and the Princesses Alice and Helena. But 
before going to her desolate home in the Isle of Wight, her 
Majesty visited Frogmore to choose a site for a mausoleum, 



FUNERAL AT WINDSOR. I 53 

where her husband and herself were yet to lie side by side. 
Leaninor on the arm of the Princess Alice, she walked round 
the gardens, and selected the spot for the ultimate and final 
reception of the Prince's remains. Then she left for Osborne. 

The funeral took place at Windsor on the 23rd of December. 
The service was held in St. George's Chapel, where had 
assembled the company who had received commands to be 
present at the ceremony, including the Ministers of the Cabi- 
net, the foreign ambassadors, the officers of the household, 
and representatives of the nobility, and the higher clergy. 
The Knights of the Garter were in their stalls, and represen- 
tatives were present of all the foreign States connected by 
blood or marriage with the late Prince. The chief mourner 
was the Prince of Wales, who was supported by his brother 
Arthur, a boy of eleven. There were also present the Duke 
of Saxe-Coburg, the Prince's brother, the Crown Prince of 
Prussia, the sons of the King of the Belgians, Prince Louis of 
Hesse, Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar, Count Gleichen, the 
Due de Nemours, and the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh. 

When the coffin arrived, bouquets from Osborne were 
placed upon it. One bouquet of violets, with a white camellia 
in the centre, was from the Queen. At the head of the coffin 
stood the Prince of Wales, with his brother and uncle, the 
Lord Chamberlain being at the foot, and the other mourners 
grouped "around. The service was taken by the Dean of 
Windsor. The grief of the yqung Princes for their father, 
as well as that of the Duke of Saxe-Coburor for his beloved 
brother, greatly moved the spectators. The Prince of Wales, 
himself overcome, spoke a few soothing words to his little 
brother, and for a short time both seemed comforted. As the 
body was committed to its resting-place in the vault, a guard 



154 LAST SAD RITES 

of honor of the Grenadier Guards, of which the Prince Con- 
sort had been colonel, presented arms, and minute-guns were 
fired at intervals by Horse Artillery in the Long Walk. The 
Thirty-ninth Psalm, Luther's Hymn, and two chorales were 
sung during the funeral service and while the coffin was 
uncovered and lowered in the grave. 

During the last moments the spectacle was very touching. 
The two Princes hid their faces and sobbed bitterly, and 
almost every other person present was overcome by his 
emotion. It was a solemn period when the coffin began 
slowly to sink into the vault ; the half-stifled sobs of the 
mourners were audible from all parts of the choir. The 
silence could almost be felt as the coffin gradually descended 
and finally disappeared from view. The service being con- 
cluded. Garter King-at-Arms advanced to the head of the 
vault, and proclaimed the style and titles of the deceased 
Prince. When he came to the prayer for her Majesty, for 
the first time during her reign the word "happiness" was 
left out, and only the blessings of "life and honor" were 
besought for her. As the strains of the Dead March in Saul 
pealed forth, the mourners advanced to take a last look into the 
deep vault. The Prince of Wales approached first, and stood 
for one brief moment with hands clasped, looking down; then 
all his fortitude suddenly deserted him, and bursting into a 
flood of tears, he hid his face, and was led away by the Lord 
Chamberlain. Prince Arthur now seemed more composed 
than his elder brother; it seemed as though his unrestrained 
grief had exhausted itself in tears and sobs. Heartfelt sorrow 
was depicted on the face of every mourner, as one by one 
they slowly left the side of the vault. 



MOURNING FOR THE PRINCE 155 

Throughout the country there was long and genuine mourn- 
ing for the "blameless Prince." 

This is not the place in which to attempt an exhaustive 
estimate of the character of the Prince Consort. But it has 
been well remarked that his influence for good, alike in the 
affairs of State, over public morals, and over the sentiments and 
conduct of private life; his interest in the arts, in the sciences, 
and in those manufactures into which art and science enter as 
vivifying forces, were ever alive, ever present, and ever most 
beneficially exerted. He was wise and temperate in his 
judgment of public events ; and he influenced the counsels 
of a great nation in its relations with foreign States by a love 
of order united with an equal love of freedom. In private 
life he was deservedly beloved. While the Sovereign 
mourned the counsellor, the wife sorrowed for the tender 
and affectionate husband ; and the children who had profited 
so much by his love and guidance, have since risen up to "call 
his memory blessed." No man could well exchange worlds 
under happier conditions. 



EARLY YEARS OF 

THE 

QUEEN'S WIDOWHOOD. 
CHAPTER VIII. 

NOTWITHSTANDING the cheering sympathy of the 
Princess of Hohenlohe and the King of the Belgians 
— who came over to Osborne on a mission of consolation — 
the daily sense of her loss pressed heavily upon the Queen. 
"There is no one near me to call me 'Victoria' now!" she is 
said to have exclaimed on the morning after her bereavement, 
and this touching expression strongly illustrates her great 
loneliness. 

In February, the Queen took leave of the Prince of Wales, 
who went on a lengthened tour in the East, accompanied by 
Dean Stanley and General Bruce. Gradually the Sovereign 
began to evince a renewed interest in 3tate affairs, and the 
Princess Alice was made the great medium of communication 
between her and her Ministers. On the ist of May the 
International Exhibition was opened, amid much pomp and 
ceremony. 

The remains of the lamented Prince Consort were removed 
on the 1 8th of December from the vault beneath St. George's 
Chapel to the noble mausoleum prepared for them by the 
Queen and the royal children at Frogmore. This memorial 
edifice stands in Frogmore Park. It is cruciform in plan, 
(156) 



MAUSOLEUMS AT FROGMORE. 157 

with a cell In the crossing, and the arms directed towards the 
cardinal points. The cell Is lighted by three semicircular 
windows In the clerestory. It is decorated externally with 
polished shafts of Aberdeen granite ; the roof Is of copper, 
octagonal In plan, with a square tower, surmounted by a gilt 
cross. The transepts are square In plan, lighted by a clere- 
story to correspond with the cell. The whole exterior of the 
mausoleum is faced with Aberdeen and Guernsey granite, and 
with different colored building stones ; the Interior Is also 
faced with variously-colored marbles and stones, and ^s 
decorated with statues. Beneath the dome of the cell is 
placed the sarcophagus of the Prince, upon which rests a 
recumbent figure of the deceased by Baron Marochettl. The 
ceremonial observed on the removal of the Prince's body was 
strictly private. The coffin was placed in a hearse, and the 
Prince of Wales and his brothers and Prince Louis of Hesse 
followed as mourners. After a brief appropriate service, the 
coffin was placed in the sarcophagus. The Princes then 
arranged upon it the wreaths of flowers which their sisters 
had woven with their own hands " to rest over the breast of 
the fondest and noblest of fathers." 

On one of the closing days of this year the Duchess of 
Sutherland presented to the Queen a sumptuously bound 
Bible, the gift of "loyal English widows." Her Majesty 
returned the followlnof beautiful letter of thanks for this offer- 
ing: "My dearest Duchess, — I am deeply touched by the gift 
of a Bible 'from many widows,' and by the very kind and 
affectionate address which accompanied It Pray ex- 
press to all these kind sister-widows the deep and heartfelt 
gratitude of their widowed Queen, who can never feel grate- 



158 ARRIVAL OF THE BRIDE ELECT. 

ful enough for the universal sympathy she has received, and 
continues to receive, from her loyal and devoted subjects." 

London, and indeed the whole of England, was alive with 
pleasurable excitement on the 7th of March, when the Princess 
Alexandra, "Sea-kings' daughter from over the sea," arrived 
off Gravesend as the bride-elect of the heir to the British 
Crown, She was accompanied by her father, mother, brother, 
and sister, and was met by the Prince of Wales, who drove 
with her throuofh the streets of London amid the cheers of an 
enthusiastic crowd. 

The wedding took place in St. George's Chapel on the 
loth of March. The Queen was present in the royal closet,, 
in widow's weeds, but she took no part in the brilliant cere- 
monial. All the members of the Royal Family attended, and 
the general company included many illustrious and distin- 
guished personages. The Prince of Wales wore a full 
general's uniform, with the stars of the Garter and the Indian 
Order, and the ribbon and band of the Golden Fleece round 
his neck. Over his uniform was the mantle of the Garter. 

After the ceremony, the bride and bridegroom returned to 
the Castle, alighting at the grand entrance, where they were 
received by the Queen. The marriage was attested in the 
White Room, and then the wedding-breakfast was served in 
the dining-room to the royal guests, and in St. George's Hall 
to the diplomatic corps, &c. The Prince and Princess of 
Wales subsequently left Windsor for Osborne, to spend their 
honeymoon. London and all the large towns were brilliantly 
illuminated in the evening, and the rejoicings over this happy 
event were kept up for some days. The crowds were so 
dense in the City to witness the illuminations, that six persons 
were crushed or trodden to death, and this melancholy circum- 



STATUE OF PRINCE CONSORT. 1 59 

Stance drew a very sympathetic letter from the Prince of Wales 
addressed to the Lord Mayor. Marlborough House was 
selected as the town residence of the bride and bridegroom, 
and Sandringham as their country house. 

Early in October the Queen went to Aberdeen to unveil 
the statue of the Prince Consort. She has left on record how 
terribly nervous she was, and that she longed not to have to 
go through the ordeal. Her Majesty was accompanied by 
the Crown Prince and Princess of Prussia, Prince and Princess 
Louis of Hesse, Princesses Helena and Louise, and Princes 
Arthur and Leopold. The day was very wet. There was a 
long, sad, and melancholy procession through the crowded 
streets of Aberdeen, where all were kindly, but all were silent. 
The Queen trembled during the ceremony, which was the first 
she had attended in public since her husband's death. An 
address was presented, and her Majesty knighted the Provost, 
a reply being afterwards forwarded to the address. The 
Prince's statue, by Marochetti, was considered to be very 
faithful and lifelike. After it had been unveiled, the Queen, 
who appeared much depressed, scanned it for some time 
narrowly. 

On the 14th of December, the anniversary of the Prince's 
death, the Queen, accompanied by all the members of the 
Royal Family, proceeded at an early hour from Windsor 
Castle to the Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore, where a devo- 
tional service was held. This has since been observed as an 
annual custom, and all the members of the household, includ- 
ing the servants, are likewise permitted to pay their tribute 
of love and respect to the memory of the Prince. This 
wonderfully beautiful tomb, as the Princess Alice described 
it, with all its elaborate decorations, was erected at the cost 



l60 "THE LITTLE STRANGER." 

of Upwards of ;^20o,ooo, which was entirely defrayed from 
her Majesty's privy purse. 

A joyful but unexpected event occurred at Frogmore on 
the 8th of January, 1864, when the Princess of Wales was 
prematurely confined of a son, Prince Albert Victor. There 
was no nurse in attendance, and no preparation had been 
made for the advent of "the little stranger," who had not been 
expected until March. The Queen was immediately apprised 
of the happy news of the birth of a direct heir to the Crown. 
The Prince was christened at Buckingham Palace on the first 
anniversary of his parent's marriage. The Princess of Wales 
made a speedy recovery, and congratulations poured in upon 
the Prince and Princess, and also upon the Queen, on the birth 
of the infant Prince. 

When England was startled by the sad news of the assas- 
sination of Abraham Lincoln, the Queen wrote with her own 
hand a touchingf letter of condolence to the widow of the late 
President. 

On the 8th of August the Queen left England on a visit to 
Germany, accompanied by Prince Leopold and the Princesses 
Helena, Louise, and Beatrice. The illustrious party embarked 
at the Royal Arsenal pier on board the steam yacht Alberta, 
under the command of Prince Leiningen. The birthday of 
the Prince Consort was celebrated by the inauguration of a 
costly monument to his memory at Coburg. It took the shape 
of a gilt bronze statue, ten feet high, which was unveiled in 
the public square of the town. On the conclusion of the cere- 
mony, the Queen, accompanied by her children, walked across 
the square, and handed to the Duke of Saxe-Coburg a large 
bouquet of flowers, which he laid on the pedestal. All the 
children did the same, until the flowers rose to the feet of the 



THE DECEASED KING. l6l 

Statue. Princess Alice writes of the " terrible sufferings " of 
the first three years of the Queen's widowhood, but adds that 
after the long storm came rest, so that the daughter could 
tenderly remind the mother, without reopening the wound, of 
the happy silver wedding which might have been this year, 
when the royal parents would have been surrounded by so 
many grandchildren in fresh young households. The royal 
family returned from Germany in September, visiting King 
Leopold at Ostend on the journey. 

The year 1865 closed with great personal loss to the Queen. 
On the 9th of December her Majesty's uncle, King Leopold, 
passed away at the age of seventy-six. In the deceased King, 
Queen Victoria not only mourned a dear relative, but a faith- 
ful friend and counsellor — one whose sympathy and advice 
had been constant and unfailing ever since she ascended the 
throne. 



TWENTY YEARS 

OF 

FAITHFUL SERVICES. 
CHAPTER IX. 

THE earliest occasion on which her Majesty attended any 
State ceremony after the death of the Prince Consort, 
was on the 6th of February, 1866, when she opened the first 
session of her seventh Parliament. The event attracted much 
attention, and gave great satisfaction. Enthusiastic crowds 
lined the whole route of the procession to the Houses of 
Parliament. In the House of Lords the scene was one of 
great splendor, peers and peeresses being resplendent in 
their robes and jewels. After prayers had been read by the 
Bishop of Ely, at a signal from the Usher of the Black Rod 
the whole assembly rose en masse — peers, peeresses, bishops, 
judges, and the foreign ambassadors— to receive the Prince 
and Princess of Wales. The Princess was escorted to the 
place of honor on the woolsack, immediately fronting the 
throne. Shortly afterwards the whole assembly rose again ; 
the door to the right of the throne was flung open, and the 
Queen entered, preceded by the State officials. Her Majesty, 
who was attired in half-mourning, walked with slow steps to 
the throne, stopping on the way to shake hands with the 
Princess of Wales. The Queen wore a deep purple velvet 
robe trimmed with a white miniver, and a white lace cap a la 
Marie Stuart ; around her neck was a collar of brilliants, and 
over her breast the blue riband of the Order of the Garter. 
During the proceedings and the reading of the royal speech 
(162) 



TWO ROYAL MARRIAGES. 1 63 

the Queen sat silent and motionless, with her eyes fixed upon 
the ground. She appeared wrapt in contemplation, and was 
doubtless moved by reminiscences of the time when she stood, 
proud and happy, with her husband by her side, and took an 
active part in this august ceremony. 

Two marriages were celebrated in the royal circle in 1866. 
The first was that of the Princess Mary of Cambridge to Prince 
Teck, which took place at the village church of Kew on the 
1 2th of June. The Queen was present, and looked remark- 
ably well, but it was noticed that she was attired in mourning 
so deep that not even a speck of white relieved the sombre- 
ness. On the 5th of July her Majesty's third daughter, the 
Princess Helena, was married in St. George's Chapel, Wind- 
sor Castle, to Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, the 
bride being in her twenty^first and the bridegroom in his 
thirty-sixth year. The Princess was accompanied to the altar 
by her mother and the Prince of Wales, and the Queen gave 
her daughter away. 

The war in Germany this year saw the husbands of two of 
the Queen's daughters ranged on opposite sides. During the 
progress of the war in the immediate vicinity of Darmstadt, 
the third daughter of Princess Alice was born. The mother 
was deeply concerned for her husband In the field, but even- 
tually he was restored to her in safety. Austria was utterly 
.worsted in the conflict, and Prussia ultimately annexed Han- 
over and Hesse-Cassel, as the spoils of victory. 

The Queen again came forth from her seclusion in February, 
1867, when she once more opened Parliament in person. The 
Reform question was the all-absorbing one occupying the 
public attention, and before the session closed the Conserva- 



164 AN AFFECTIONATE TRIBUTE. 

live Government succeeded in carrying- a measure which 
provided for a large extension of the suffrage. 

In the course of the year there appeared the interesting 
work entitled, The Early Years of H. R. H. the Prince Consort 
In this book the Queen pays an affectionate tribute to the 
virtue and character of her deceased husband, and the biogra- 
phy contains much material furnished directly by the Sovereign 
herself. *' No homage which the Queen has paid to her 
husband's memory is more expressive than the humility and 
simple confidence with which she has in these pages trusted 
to the world particulars relating to herself. The candor with 
which she has published the events that led to their engage- 
ment, and their feelings and impressions, is not more striking 
than the assiduous self-denial which causes the interest always 
to centre in the Prince. The Queen is kept out of sight 
whenever her presence is not required to illustrate his life." 
What the book gives is " not merely the privilege of over- 
hearing the tale of love and grief, whispered by a mother to 
her children, but a great argument of history, a resolute 
attempt to make the nation understand the most illustrious 
character the Royal Family has possessed since the accession 
of the dynasty. To accomplish this high purpose, the Queen 
has not shrunk from the sacrifices which men seldom make, 
and monarch's never." 
I In June the Queen of Prussia arrived at Windsor Castle on 
J a visit to the Queen ; and in the following month the Sultan 
was also hospitably housed for a time at the Castle. His 
Majesty was made the centre of a round of gaieties and 
celebrations at the Crystal Palace and elsewhere; but a grand 
naval review, at which he was present, off Spithead, was spoiled 
by tempestuous weather. The Sultan left England much 



AT HOME AND ABROAD. 1 65 

impressed by his visit. On the day before his departure from 
Buckingham Palace, the Queen received at Osbone another 
illustrious visitor in the person of the Empress of France. 

Her Majesty left England on a visit to Switzerland in 
August, travelling incognita as the Countess of Kent; enroute 
slie stayed for a day at the English Embassy, Paris, where she 
received the Empress Eugenie. 

The Queen visited the City of London on the 6th of Novem- 
ber, 1869, for the purpose of opening the new bridge over the 
Thames at Blackfriars, and the new viaduct over the Fleet 
Valley from Holborn Hill to Newgate Street. The citizens 
of London gave a warm welcome to their Sovereign after her 
prolonged absence from their midst. 

The year 1870 was an eventful one upon the Continent. 
The war between France and Germany — in which the Queen's 
sons-in-law, the Crown Prince of Prussia and Prince Louis of 
Hesse were engaged — led to the re-making of the map of 
Europe so far as France and Germany were concerned; and 
as one result of the deadly struggle, the Emperor and Empress 
of France were driven into exile. Under changed and 
melancholy conditions Queen Victoria visited the Empress 
Eugenie at Chislehurst towards the close of the year. 

The visit to Balmoral in the autumn of 1870 was marked 
by a happy incident. On the 3rd of October the Princess 
Louise became engaged to the Marquis of Lome, eldest son 
of the Duke of Argyll. 

The marriage of the Princess Louise to the Marquis of 
Lome was solemnized at St. George's Chapel, Windsor, on 
the 2 1 St of March. The ceremony was distinguished by 
much pomp. The Duke of Argyll attracted special attention 
when he appeared in " the garb of old Gaul," with kilt, phili- 



1 66 ROYAL ALBERT HALL. 

beg, Sporran, and claymore complete. The bridegroom, who 
was supported by Earl Percy and Lord Ronald Gower, looked 
pale and nervous. All the members of the Royal Family were 
present. The bride was supported on the right by the Queen, 
and on the other side by the Prince of Wales and the Duke 
of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The bridesmaids were dressed 
in white satin decorated with red camellias, with long- and 
drooping leaves ; and the bride wore a white satin robe, with 
a tunic of Honiton lace of ingenious and graceful design. In 
this tunic were bouquets composed of the rose, the shamrock, 
and the thistle, linked together by a floral chain, from which 
hung bouquets of various flowers. The veil, which was of 
Honiton lace, was worked from a sketch made by the Princess 
Louise herself. When the Bishop of London put the usual 
question as to the giving away of the bride, the Queen replied 
by a gesture, and then the bishop joined the hands of the 
young couple. At the close of the ceremony the Queen 
lovingly embraced her daughter. The bride and bridegroom 
left Windsor for Claremont, to spend the honeymoon. For 
their London residence, rooms were allotted to them in 
Kensington Palace. 

Her Majesty opened the Royal Albert Hall on the 29th of 
March, in the presence of the members of the Royal Family, 
the chief officers of State, and a large and distinguished assem- 
bly, consisting of some 8,000 persons. On the entrance of the 
Queen the whole audience rose to receive her, and remained 
standing while the National Anthem was performed. At its 
conclusion the Prince of Wales read an address to her Majesty. 
The Queen handed to the Prince a written answer, and said in 
a clear voice : " I wish to express my great admiration of this 
beautiful hall, and my earnest wishes for its complete success." 



HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS ILL. 1 67 

A prayer was offered by the Bishop of London, and then the 
Prince exclaimed : " The Queen declares this hall to be now 
opened." The announcement was followed by a burst of 
cheering, the National Anthem, and the discharge of the park 
guns. The opening was celebrated by a concert, under the 
direction of Sir Michael Costa, who composed a cantata ex- 
pressly for the occasion. The cost of the hall was estimated 
at ^200,000, and — what is probably unique in the history of 
public building — this cost was not exceeded. 

Early in April, the Queen, accompanied by Prince Leopold, 
paid a visit to the Emperor Napoleon and the Empress 
Eugenie at Chislehurst. The Emperor was suffering greatly 
both in mind and body, but he was much touched by this 
manifestation of friendship. 

The Queen did not return from her usual visit to Balmoral 
until a late period this autumn, and when she reached Wind- 
sor, she was met by the disturbing news that a feverish attack 
from which the Prince of Wales had for some time been 
suffering, had assumed a grave aspect. The news of the 
Prince's illness created profound sorrow and solicitude 
throughout the United Kingdom. As the fever continued 
to run its course for some days without any alarming symp- 
toms, her Majesty returned to Windsor; but on the 8th of 
December a very serious relapse occurred. The life of his 
Royal Highness was in imminent danger, and the Queen and 
all the members of the Royal Family hurried to Sandringham. 
For some days the whole nation was plunged into gloom, and 
the excitement respecting the daily bulletins was intense. 
By the Queen's desire, special prayers were used in all 
churches and chapels of the Establishment. Prayers also 
went up from the Jewish synagogues and from Catholic and 



1 68 LETTER TO HER PEOPLE. 

Dissenting churches. The national anxiety and suspense 
were continued until the night of December 14th — the anni- 
versary of the Prince Consort's death — when there was a 
slight amelioration of the worst symptoms, and the invalid 
obtained long-needed and refreshing sleep. From that day 
forward the Prince continued gradually to recover. The 
Queen returned to Windsor on the 19th of December, and 
on the 26th she wrote the following letter to her people: 
**The Queen is very anxious to express her deep sense of the 
touching sympathy of the whole nation on the occasion of the 
alarming illness of her dear son, the Prince of Wales. The 
universal feeling shown by her people during those painful, 
terrible days, and the sympathy evinced by them with herself 
and her beloved daughter, the Princess of Wales, as well as 
the general joy at the improvement of the Prince of Wales's 
state, have made a deep and lasting impression on her heart, 
which can never be effaced. It was indeed nothinpf new to 
her, for the Queen had met with the same sympathy when, 
just ten years ago, a similar illness removed from her side 
the mainstay of her life, the best, wisest, and kindest of hus- 
bands. The Queen wishes to express at the same time, on 
the part of the Princess of Wales, her feelings of heartfelt 
gratitude, for she has been as deeply touched as the Queen 
by the great and universal manifestation of loyalty and sym- 
pathy. The Queen cannot conclude without expressing her 
hope that her faithful subjects will continue their prayers to 
God for the complete recovery of her dear son to health and 
strength." 

The 27th of February, 1872, was observed as a day of 
national thanksgiving for the Prince's recovery. A more 



CHANGEFUL YEARS. 1 69 

joyous and successful celebration was never witnessed in 
London. 

In July, the Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, 
the Princesses Louise and Beatrice, and Prince Leopold, 
visited the national memorial erected in Hyde Park to the 
memory of the Prince Consort. This magnificent and costly 
monument was then complete, save for the statue of the Prince, 
which was to be executed by Mr. Foley, and to form the cen- 
tral and principal figure. The structure, which is very elaborate 
in all its parts, reaches to a height of 1 80 feet, and terminates 
in a graceful cross. 

Before the month closed her Majesty received intelligence 
of the death of her beloved sister, the Dowager Princess of 
Hohenlohe Langenburg, who expired at Baden-Baden. There 
was ever a warm attachment between the two illustrious ladies, 
and the Princess was deeply mourned, not only by the Queen, 
but by a wide circle. The Duke of Edinburgh and Prince 
Arthur went over to Germany to the funeral, at which also 
were present the Emperor of Germany and the Prince and 
Princess Louis of Hesse. 

A strange and chequered career came to a close in January, 
1873, when the Emperor Napoleon died after much physical 
suffering at Chislehurst. Messages of sympathy with the 
Empress Eugenie and the Prince Imperial were sent by the 
Queen and various European Sovereigns. 

On the 23rd of January, 1874, the Duke of Edinburgh was 
married to the Grand Duchess Marie of Russia, the ceremony 
taking place in the Winter Palace at St. Petersburg. In the 
succeeding March the royai couple made a public entry into 
London. A heavy snow storm somewhat marred the proceed- 
ings, but the Queen, with the Duchess and the Duke of Edin- 



170 EMPRESS OF INDIA. 

burgh and Princess Beatrice, drove through the streets of the 
metropolis in an open carriage. On arriving at Buckingham 
Palace, the newly wedded couple met with an ovation from a 
large crowd of persons who had assembled in front of the 
palace. 

Many distinguished men who had been personally honored 
by the Queen, passed away in this and the following year. 
The mournful death-list included Bishop Wilberforce, Sir E. 
Landseer, Charles Kingsley, W. C. Macready, and her 
Majesty's literary adviser and clerk of the Council, Sir 
Arthur Helps. 

It had been announced that the Queen would open Parlia- 
ment in person in February, 1875, but the alarming illness of 
her youngest son. Prince Leopold, prevented her from carry- 
ing out her design. The Prince had been seized with typhoid 
fever during the Christmas vacation at Osborne, and for a 
long time a fatal termination was feared to his illness. Hap- 
pily, however, he eventually recovered. As the Princess Alice 
said, he had already been given back three times to his family 
from the brink of the grave. 

In October the Prince of Wales left Engrland for a length- 
ened tour through her Majesty's Indian dominions. He met 
with a grand reception in Bombay, and his birthday was kept 
in India. The Prince visited the chief wonders of India, in- 
cluding the caves of Elephanta. There was an elephant hunt 
in Ceylon, and an illumination of the surf Colombo, Bom- 
bay, Baroda, Calcutta, and Madras were all visited. The tour 
was in every respect a perfect success, and created a most 
favorable impression amongst the Queen's Indian subjects. In 
the following year the Royal Titles Bill was passed, and her 
Majesty was proclaimed Empress of India. 



ALBERT MEMORIAL. I7I 

The Albert Memorial at Edinburgh was unveiled by the 
Queen with great ceremony on the 17th of August, 1876. 
The Memorial, which is in Charlotte Square, consists of a 
colossal equestrian statue of the Prince Consort, in field- 
marshal's uniform and bareheaded, standing on a pedestal, 
at the four corners of which are groups of figures looking up 

to the central figure. 

A severe gap was made in the Royal Family in December 
by the death of the lamented Princess Alice. Some time 
before, diphtheria had broken out in the Darmstadt house- 
hold, and every member of it had been attacked in succession. 
Princess Marie, who was only four years old, died in Novem- 
ber. The Princess caught the infection as the result of her 
devoted attention to others, and from having on one occasion 
rested her head, from sheer sorrow, on the Duke's pillow. 

Few princesses have been more warmly beloved than the 
Princess Alice. The remains of the Princess were interred 
in the mausoleum at Rosenhohe, on May 18, the Prince of 
Wales, Prince Leopold, and Prince Christian being amongst 
the mourners. A beautiful recumbent figure in white marble 
of the Princess, in which she is represented as clasping her 
infant daughter to her breast, has been placed near the tomb, 
as a token of the loving remembrance of her brothers and 
sisters. The Queen issued a letter to her subjects express- 
ing her heartfelt thanks for the universal sympathy called 
forth by the death of her beloved daughter. 

The following year, the Duke of Connaught was married 
to the Princess Louise of Prussia, at St. George's, Windsor. 

A great trial befell her Majesty in 1884, hy the untoward 
death of her youngest son, the Duke of Albany. From his 
childhood the Prince had been of delicate health. Alike from 



172 DUKE ALBANY DIES. 

inclination and necessity, he had always been given to studi- 
ous pursuits. As he reached manhood he was not only profi- 
cient in music and painting, but developed strong literary 
tastes. He had an excellent and refined judgment, and had 
gathered copious stores of book learning. He lived a com- 
paratively retired life, suffering much from a constitutional j 
weakness in the joints, and from a dangerous tendency to ■ 
hemorrhage, which rendered the most extreme care neces- 
sary. On several occasions his life was in danger from sud- 
den and severe fits of indisposition. His intellectual gifts, 
combined with his ill-health, rendered him an object of pride 
as well as of solicitude to the other members of the Royal 
Family. Towards the close of his existence he seemed, by 
the interest he took in literature and science, and the graceful 
public speeches which he delivered, about to take the place 
once held by his honored father. He had a happy marriage, 
and in 1883 a daughter was born to him, to whom was given 
the name of his beloved and revered sister, Alice. 

The career of this much-esteemed Prince, however, was 
prematurely cut short. In March, 1884, he went to Cannes 
to avoid the inclement east winds, leaving the Duchess behind 
him at Claremont. His stay in the south of France proved 
of considerable service in restoring his health; but on the 
27th of March, as he was ascending a stair at the Cercle 
Nautique, he slipped and fell, injuring the knee which had 
been hurt on several occasions before. The accident did not 
at first seem serious, and the Duke wrote a reassuring letter 
to his wife from the Villa Nevada, whither he had been con- 
veyed. A fit of apoplexy supervened during the following 
night, however, and at three o'clock on the morning of the 
28th he expired in the arms of his equerry. Captain Perceval. 



MONUMENTS AT WINDSOR. I 73 

When the fatal news reached Windsor it was gently broken 
to the Queen by Sir H. Ponsonby. Though almost over- 
whelmed with her own grief, her Majesty's thoughts turned 
at once to the young widow at Claremont. 

The Prince of Whales went over to France to bear the 
remains of his brother back to England. The Queen and 
the Princess Christian and Princess Beatrice met the body at 
the Windsor railway station. On reaching the Castle, it was 
conveyed to the chapel, where a short service was held in the 
presence of her Majesty and her children, and the afflicted 
Duchess of Albany bent one last look upon the bier. The 
funeral took place on the 5th of April, the Prince of Wales 
being chief mourner. 

On the 23rd of July, 1885, the marriage of Princess Beatrice 
and Prince Henry of Batenberg was celebrated at Whipping- 
ham Church, Isle of Wight, in the presence of the Queen, the 
Royal Family, and a distinguished party of English nobility 
and others, but no representative of the German reigning 
dynasties attended. With this wedding the Queen saw the 
last of her children united in the bonds of matrimony. 

Her Majesty has erected many monuments at Windsor to 
those whom she holds in lovingf remembrance. One of the 
chief attractions of the Albert Chapel, is a pure white marble 
figure of the Prince, represented as a knight in armor, with 
the epitaph on the pedestal, " I have fought the good fight, I 
have finished my course." In St. George's Chapel are five 
monuments. The first is an alabaster sarcophagus to her 
father ; the second, a white marble statue to King Leopold, 
whom the Queen has described as her second father ; the third 
monument is to her Majesty's aunt, the Duchess of Glouces- 
ter ; the fourth, to the late King of Hanover ; and the fifth, to 



174 STATUE OF THE PRINCE. 

the son of King Theodore of Abyssinia. The young Prince 
died in England, and his monument bears the epitaph : ** I was 
a stranger, and ye took me in." Theed's admirable group 
of the Queen and her husband, stands at the entrance to the 
corridor which runs round two sides of the quadrangle of the 
Castle. The corridor contains many pictures and mementoes 
of events'and persons relating to the Queen's life and reign. 
At Frogmore is Marochetti's recumbent figure of the Prince, 
and space has been left for a similar statue of her Majesty. 
There are also memorials of Princess Alice and of the Queen's 
dead grandchildren in the mausoleum. In an upper chamber 
belonging to a separate vault is a statue of the Duchess of 
Kent by Theed. At Osborne are many groups, statues, and 
busts of the Queen's children and other relatives, which serve 
to remind her Majesty — if she needed such reminders — of 
the happy years of the past. 

During the ten years just reviewed the Queen had been 
exceedingly busy. Many visits of a personal and political 
nature had been made, and in one way and another the Queen 
had been much before the public. She was especially 
identified with the numerous educational and charitable insti- 
tutions that were opened during this period. Among these 
was the opening of St. Thomas's Hospital and the laying of 
the corner-stone of the Hall of Arts and Sciences at Ken- 
sington Gore. Subsequently she was present at the laying of 
the foundation-stone of the New Medical Examination Hall of 
the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons. The ceremony 
took place in the presence of a vast concourse of people, all 
eager to behold their Queen. Still later she opened the 
Royal Hollo way College for Women at Mount Lee, Egham. 

Among the events of this period was the opening of the 



THREE GREAT LOSSES. 175 

Colonial and Indian Exhibition — the most successful and ex- 
tensive of a series of admirable exhibitions at South Ken- 
sington. The Prince of Wales was the actual promoter, the 
executive President, and practically the director of this Exhi- 
bition, which reflected the highest credit upon the energy and 
exertions of his Royal Highness. The opening ceremony was 
very imposing, both from the dense crowds in the vicinity of 
the Exhibition and the brilliant gathering within the building. 

Another interesting event was the opening of the Inter- 
national Exhibition of Navigation, Commerce and Industry at 
Liverpool. The Queen was the centre of a brilliant throng. 
There was a royal progress through the streets of Liver- 
pool, whose streets were thronged by loyal subjects anxious 
to do honor to their Sovereign. These years also marked 
the death of some of the Queen's most trusted friends, among 
them being Dr. McLeod, her spiritual adviser, and were 
signalized by three great losses in English literature and 
politics. George Eliot died in December, 1880, Carlyle in 
February, 1881, and the Earl of Beaconsfield in the follow- 
ing April, The Conservative leader was buried at Hughen- 
den, and the Queen and Princess Beatrice visited the funeral 
vault while it was still open and placed flowers upon the 
cofiin. At a later period a monument was erected in 
Hughenden Church to Lord Beaconsfield " by his grateful 
and aflectionate sovereign and friend, Victoria R. I. ' Kings 
love him that speaketh right.' " 

With the passing of the year 1886 Victoria was brought to 
the threshold of an event which stirred all loyal English 
hearts. Fifty years of her life on the throne were rounding 
to a close, and soon was to come the celebration of her 
Royal Jubilee. 



CELEBRATION 

OF 

THE ROYAL JUBILEE. 
CHAPTER X. 

FEW pageants in British history could equal in dignity 
and splendor that by which the Royal Jubilee was 
commemorated in 1887. Only three Sovereigns have reigned 
over the Anglo-Saxon race for fifty years and upwards, Edward 
III., George III., and Victoria. The jubilee of George III., her 
Majesty's grandfather, was celebrated in 18 10, and there were 
a few survivors from that period who had the felicity of wit- 
nessing the Jubilee of this beloved Sovereign. 

Jubilee Day, the 21st of June, was a day eyer to be remem- 
bered by those who were privileged to be in London, and to 
witness the magnificent royal progress to Westminster Abbey, 
The day was observed as a national holiday, and fortunately 
it was one of perfect sunshine. Houses and streets were 
profusely decorated, and the demonstrations of loyalty and 
of personal affection for the Queen were universal. Tens of 
{thousands of persons lined the thoroughfares, especially along 
Piccadilly, Pall Mall, Whitehall, and Parliament Street. The 
gorgeous cavalcade excited intense interest ; the brilliant 
group consisting of the Prince of Wales, the Crown Prince 
of Germany, and the Crown Prince of Austria, being singled 
out for special admiration. 
(176) 



SCENE AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 177 

Whenever her Majesty appeared, however, she was the 
cynosure of all eyes. She drove in State, accompanied by 
the members of the Royal Family, and by the foreign poten- 
tates and princes who were her guests. The Thanksgiving 
Service in Westminster Abbey was most impressive. The 
interior of the Abbey had been completely transformed, so as 
to afford the largest possible amount of sitting accommodation. 
An eye-witness of the ceremony thus described the scene in 
the Abbey, and the order of the service : " King Henry VII.'s 
Chapel had been shut off, a,nd not a single monument was to 
be seen anywhere. The Abbey was more like Cologne 
Cathedral than the Abbey Englishmen know and love so well. 
At either end — that is to say, above the altar and at the 
western end of the choir — were two immense galleries 
crowded with people. On either side of the nave, too, there 
were galleries filled with naval and m.ilitary officers and their 
wives. On the floor in the nave were the Judges, the Lord 
Mayor, the Aldermen and Common Councillors, and a host 
of distinguished personages. The Beefeaters kept the line 
of route here, but they had little to do, for the arrangements 
were too admirable to make over-crowding possible. The 
choir was reserved for minor potentates and for the at- 
tendants of the Kings and Princes, who were seated within 
the rails of the sacrarium. Between the sacrarium and the 
choir was the dais, a wide structure covered with red baize, 
with the coronation chair in the centre. On the right of the 
chair the Princes who accompanied her Majesty were to sit, 
while the Princesses were oa the left. On the altar was a 
splendid gold alms-dish and four large bouquets of white 
lilies. On one side of the dais were members of the House 
of Lords, on the other, members of the House of Commonsi 



178 THE OPENING CEREMONY. 

while above the peers was a diplomatic gallery, where a most 
dazzling exhibition of classes and orders could be seen. The 
Abbey, with the exception of the choir and the sacrarium, was 
full at 10 o'clock. It was a most brilliant sight — one which 
will never be forgotten by those who saw it. The bright hues 
of military uniforms and the scarlet and ermine of the judges 
blended admirably with the white dresses of the ladies. 

The kings and princes who passed to the sacrarium did so 
by side passages ; not one of them ascended the steps to the 
dais, where Queen Victoria and her family alone were to tread. 
Half an hour more of waiting, and then Sir Albert Woods^ 
Garter King, who was watching at the western door, gave a 
signal. A voice as of many waters was heard outside, and 
the State trumpeters, perched aloft on the rood-screen, per- 
formed a fanfare on their instruments. The vast crowd of 
all that is great and illustrious in England arose. The 
clergy of the Abbey came first, and behind them 
were the Bishop of London, the Archbishop of York, the 
Dean of Westminster and the Archbishop of Canterbury. 
After them came the Queen, attended by the princes and 
and princesses of her family. The procession having reached 
the dais, the Queen took her seat on the coronation chair, and 
Lord Lathom and Lord Mount-Edgcumbe placed the robes of 
State on her shoulders. She bowed low to the altar just be- 
fore they did so, and then sat down. At that moment, when 
the scene was complete, the mise-en-scene was a very striking 
one. 

The Archbishop of Canterbury began the services with 
some versicles. Then came the Prince Consort's Te Deum, 
rendered by a choir of three hundred voices. After the read- 
ing of the lesson and three special collects came the Jubilee 



LONDON ILLUMINATED. I 79 

anthem, " Blessed be the Lord thy God which delighted in 
thee, to set thee on his throne to be king for the Lord thy 
God, because thy God loved Israel, therefore made he thee 
king to do judgment and justice." The whole anthem was 
most beautiful and effective throughout. The final chorus was 
given with immense effect, and when its echoes died away 
the Archbishop read three more collects and pronounced the 
benediction. 

The prettiest scene of all followed. The Queen held out 
her hand to the German Crown Prince, who reverently kissed 
it. The Prince of Wales came next. To each of the princes 
she offered, according to custom, her cheek to be kissed, but 
every one of them, equally according to custom, kissed her 
hand. The princesses curtsied low before the Queen, who 
kissed each of them, and there was quite a touching scene 
when three times over the- Queen and the German Crown 
Princess saluted one another. The procession was re-formed. 
As the Queen passed down the choir she bowed very 
graciously to every Indian prince present. She then retired 
for a quarter of an hour, when, amid an immense outburst of 
enthusiasm, she passed up Parliament street on her home- 
ward route. 

London, west and east, was gaily illuminated on the night 
of the Jubilee. Most of the houses in the principal thorough- 
fares exhibited appropriate devices, some of which were very 
striking and very costly. Displays of a similar kind were 
almost general throughout the country. From the north of 
Scotland to the extreme south of England beacons flamed from 
most of the hills, and bonfires were lighted and kept blazing 
until daybreak. 

One of the most touching as well as one of the most 



i8o women's jubilee offering. 

thoughtful of the Jubilee celebrations was a children's festival 
in Hyde Park, held on the 2 2d, through the generous initiative 
of the proprietor of the Daily Telegraph. About 30,000 
children marched to the Park in perfect order, and were there 
allowed to enjoy themselves with complete freedom, games 
and amusements of all kinds havino- been arranored in the 

o o 

space set apart for them. Each child was provided with a 
meat pie, a piece of cake, a bun and an orange, besides being 
presented with a mug specially made for the occasion. The 
Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and some of the 
Queen's royal visitors, attended the children'sy?/^. 

At Windsor, on the 2 2d of June, her Majesty received the 
officers and general committee of the Women's Jubilee Offer- 
ing Fund. This was a fund raised by subscriptions, varying 
in amount from a penny to a pound, contributed by 3,000,000 
women of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales as a present 
to the Queen on her Jubilee. The offering, which amounted 
to ;^75,ooo, was presented, together with a loyal address, 
which her Majesty graciously acknowledged. On the same 
occasion a handsome casket, carved out of Irish bog-oak, with 
a representation of the Irish harp on the cover, was presented 
to the Queen on behalf of Irishwomen by the Marchioness of 
Londonderry. 

In acknowledgement of the many tokens of sympathy on 
the part of her people, the Queen addressed to the Home 
Secretary the following letter, which was published in the 

London Gazette : 

" Windsor Castle, June 24. 
I am anxious to expresss to my people my warm thanks 
for the kind, and more than kind, reception I met with on 
going to and returning from Westminster Abbey with all my 
children and grandchildren. 



POUR JUBILEE FUNCTIONS. l8l 

" The enthusiastic reception I met with there, as well as on 
all these eventful days, in London as well as in Windsor, on 
the occasion of my Jubilee, has touched me most deeply. It 
has shown that the labor and anxiety of fifty long years, 
twenty-two of which I spent in unclouded happiness, shared 
and cheered by my beloved husband, while an equal number 
were full of sorrows and trials, borne without his sheltering 
arm and wise help, have been appreciated by my people. 

" This feeling, and the sense of duty toward my dear 
country and subjects, who are so inseparably bound up with 
my life, will encourage me in my task — often a very difficult 
and arduous one — during the remainder of my life. 

" The wonderful order preserved on this occasion, and the 
good behavior of the enormous multitudes assembled, merits 
my highest admiration. 

" That God may protect and abundantly bless my country 
is my fervent prayer. 

" Victoria, R. and I." 

No fewer than four Jubilee functions, in which the Queen 
bore a part, took place during the month of July. The first 
was a review of Volunteer Corps at Buckingham Palace, on 
July 2, when the metropolitan and suburban volunteers, to the 
number of 24,000, divided into six brigades, marched past the 
Queen. The Prince of Wales, the Duke of Connaught and 
Prince Albert Victor appeared with their respective regiments, 
and the imposing spectacle excited great enthusiasm among 
thousands of assembled spectators. 

On the 4th of July the Queen visited London in order to 

lay the foundation stone of the Imperial Institute at South 

Kensington. This undertaking was one in which her Majesty's 

eldest son, the heir-apparent, took a special interest. The 

Queen was received by the Prince of Wales, the President of 

the Institute, and by a magnificent assemblage of representa- 
II 



1 82 IMPERIAL INSTITUTE, KENSINGTON. 

tives from all parts of her dominions. An ode, written by 
Mr. (now Sir) Lewis Morris, and set to music by Sir Arthur 
Sullivan, was performed by the Royal Albert Hall Choral 
Society. Then followed the ceremony of laying the first stone, 
a block of colonial granite upwards of three tons in weight. 
Subsequently the Prince of Wales read an address to her 
Majesty from the Organizing Committee of the Institute. In 
her reply the Queen said : " It is with infinite satisfaction that 
I receive the address, in which you give expression to your 
loyal attachment to my throne and person, and develop the 
views that have led to the creation of the Imperial Institute. 
I concur with you in thinking that the counsels and exertions 
of my beloved husband initiated a movement which gave in- 
creased vigor to commercial activity, and produced marked 
and lasting improvements in industrial efforts. One in- 
direct result of that movement has been to bring more 
before the minds of men the vast and varied resources of the 
Empire over which Providence has willed that I should reign 
during fifty prosperous years. I believe and hope that the 
Imperial Institute will play a useful part in combining those 
resources for the common advantage of all my subjects, and 
in conducing towards the welding of the colonies, India and 
the mother country into one harmonious and united com- 
munity. In laying the foundation stone of the building de- 
voted to your labors I heartily wish you God-speed in your 
undertakinor." 

The third public function was a grand review of troops at 
Aldershot on the 9th of July. The Queen had gone to Alder- 
shot the night before and slept in the camp. She was attended 
by a brilliant staff to the review ground, and 60,000 troops of 
all arms paraded before her. Before the march passed, the 



NAVAL REVIEW AT SPITHEAD. 1 83 

Duke of Cambridge tendered to her Majesty the congratula- 
tions of the army upon her Jubilee, and in response the 
Queen expressed her sense of the love and devotion of the 
army. The Duke returned to his position, and at a given 
signal the air was rent by the cheers of the whole mass of 
troops, the infantry hoisting their helmets into the air on the 
muzzles of their rifles. The troops then marched past, moving 
with admirable precision. The ceremony occupied two hours 
and three-quarters. Then the cavalry and horse artillery 
advanced towards the Queen in one magnificent line about a 
mile in length, the flanks being lost in clouds of dust. Grad- 
ually increasing the pace till it became a gallop, they were 
halted after having made a splendid advance, and the Queen, 
with her escort and suite, withdrew, passing through an avenue 
formed by the infantry. 

The last, and perhaps the most important event of all, was 
a grand naval review at Spithead, on the 23d of July. The 
fleet was moored so as to form a double line of great ships, 
the centre of which was nearly opposite Gilkicker Point on 
the north and Ryde pier on the south. Between it and Ports- 
mouth was a double line of coast-defence ships, gunboats and 
torpedo-boats. The vessels comprising the squadrons were 
anchored about a quarter of a mile apart, the space between 
the two columns being about half as much again. South of 
these were troopships with visitors, and a large number of 
other steamers and yachts, in all over one hundred vessels. 

The Jubilee celebrations were a tribute at once to the loyalty 
of the British people and the popularity of the Sovereign. 
The enthusiasm evoked was heartfelt and sincere, and the 
whole nation was moved, as by one genuine and spontaneous 
impulse, to show its gratitude for the many blessings which in 
God's providence had attended her Majesty's beneficent rule. 



YEARS OF MINGLED JOY 

AND 

SORROW. 



CHAPTER XI. 

THE years which have intervened between the Royal. 
Jubilee and this the year when Victoria will celebrate 
the sixtieth anniversary of her reign, have been full of 
changes. Joy and sorrow have each had their place in the 
Sovereign's life. Many dear and trusted friends have 
moved off the scene of action, leaving an aching void in 
the heart of the Queen. But amid the darkness there has 
been much joy and gladness. During this period the Queen 
has been present at the opening of many educational and 
charitable institutions, showing by her presence that she was 
in sympathy with all forms of advancement. During this 
period also she spent much of her time in travel. In the 
spring of 1888 she left Windsor for Italy, traveling incog- 
nito. She remained in Italy a month, stopping on her return 
to visit Emperor Frederick, The German Court had been 
filled with anxiety and gloom on account of the illness of the 
Emperor, but he had recovered somewhat before the Queen's 
arrival, and a great banquet was held in her honor. 

About the middle of April her Majesty was much disturbed 
by the news that the Emperor Frederick had suffered a serious 
relapse, arising from bronchitis and over-exertion. The 
members of the imperial family were hastily summoned, but 
the Emperor subsequently rallied. During the latter part 
of May and the early part of June, his malady, which was 
184 




The Marchioness of Stafford. 




John Dillon. M. P. 



VHE EMPEROR PASSES AWAY. 1 85 

now known to be cancer, appeared to take a milder form. 
Indeed hopes of his Majesty's partial recovery, if not of his 
complete restoration to health, began to be entertained. But 
all too suddenly very grave symptoms began to be developed 
toward the middle of June. Disquieting rumors were men- 
tioned in the House of Commons, and on the 14th it was 
announced that a telegram had been received from Berlin 
affirming that inflammation of the lungs had set in, and that 
no hopes of his Majesty's recovery were entertained. At 
I I.I 5 A. M. on the 15th the Emperor passed away at Pots- 
dam, in his fifty-seventh year, after a reign of ninety-nine days. 
Upon his accession the Emperor had issued a liberal and 
enlightened programme, which fate thus forbade from being 
carried into effect. 

The funeral ©f the Emperor was celebrated on the i8th, 
with as little pomp as possible, in the Friedenskirche at Pots- 
dam. On the same evening, in both English Houses of Par- 
liament, addresses of condolence to the Queen and the 
Empress Frederick were moved and carried. In the Lords, 
the Marquis of Salisbury thus closed his references to the 
deceased Emperor : " He has left an example which may be 
of most precious value, not only to sovereigns and those 
who may follow him, but to all sorts and conditions of men ; 
and it is with a feeling that we are performing no act of mere 
formality in rendering homage to one of the highest and 
noblest natures which ever adorned a throne, that I move the 
addresses which I have now the honor of laying on the table." 
Mr. Gladstone, in seconding the address in the House of 
Commons, touched briefly on the leading incidents in the 
Emperor's Hfe, and then paid this eloquent tribute to his 
memory: "Sir, there may be a disposition to regret that 



1 86 ELOQUENT TRIBUTES. 

the reign of the Emperor Frederick was too short for the 
display of the quahties of the ruler, but there is another 
view which, I think, will change that into thankfulness. The 
circumstances attending his ascent to the throne made him 
still more conspicuous to the eyes of the world, and, I have 
no doubt, caused a yet deeper impression of the invaluable 
qualities of his mind and character, both upon the German 
people and upon mankind at large. If there was a high esti- 
mate formed of him before he became Emperor, it was fully 
realized by those wide views of the condition of Europe 
which were at the very earliest date made known to the Ger- 
man people and the nations around. So far as human sorrow 
can be alleviated, either by the expression of sympathy, or 
by glorious recollections, or by yet more glorious hopes, all 
that consolation will be enjoyed by those who are now 
mourning over the death of the German Emperor. But one 
thino" remains to those, and it is this — the recollection of his 
great qualities, of his singular union of wisdom with virtue 
and with valor, his known attachment to the liberties of his 
country, and his respect for its constitution — all those win- 
ning qualities and a fortitude greater in degree than that of 
many a soldier and, perhaps, of many a martyr ; all those 
things constitute a great and noble inheritance for the Ger- 
man people ; and we trust that that great nation will treasure 
the recollection of the Emperor whom they have lost as 
among the most precious possessions that can fall to the lot 
of any people upon earth." 

One interesting event of this year was the silver wedding 
of the Prince and Princess of Wales, which was celebrated on 
the loth of March, with as much display of loyalty as the 
mourning consequent upon the recent death of the German 



STATUES OF QUEEN VICTORIA. 1 87 

Emperor, William I, would permit. A deputation from the 
Corporation of the City of London attended at Marlborough 
House and presented the Prince and Princess with a silver 
model of the Imperial Institute. Numerous gifts were also 
received from other public bodies and private individuals. 
In the evening a State banquet was given at Marlborough 
House at which the Queen was present. 

The fiftieth anniversary of the Queen's coronation fell 
on the 28th of June, but in consequence of the death of 
Emperor Frederick, who was extremely popular in England, 
both on his own account and because of the noble way in 
which he had borne his sufferings, the Court went into 
mourning and the projected fetes were abandoned. 

In the years immediately following the Royal Jubilee, and 
in commemoration of that event, numerous statues of the 
Queen were unveiled, two or three of which are worthy of a 
passing notice. One of these was erected in the court-yard 
of the University of London, Burlington Gardens, and the 
other, a full-length statue, was on the Thames embankment 
at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons. The 
Prince of Wales performed the ceremony of unveiling in 
both instances. 

The Empress Frederick at Eton unveiled the statue of the 
Queen which had been placed over the gateway of the new 
Queen's schools. The Queen watched the event from her 
carriage. After the unveiling, the Empress walked through 
the quadrangle into the chapel, whilst the Queen drove to 
the door. In the chapel the royal party listened to the choir 
singing the chorale, "Now thank we all our God." Subse- 
quently their Majesties returned to the carriage by way of 
the quadrangle, and, passing under the archway, drove back 



i88 A SAD INCIDENT. ^ 

to Windsor amidst the hearty cheers of the Eton boys and 
the crowds Hning the streets. 

On the 28th of June, the Queen, attended by the Prince 
and Princess of Wales, was present at the unveihng of a 
statue of herself erected in Kensington Gardens. Additional 
interest attached to this work of art from the fact that it was 
executed by the Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lome. 

The year 1892 had scarcely opened before a heavy calamity 
befell the Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the 
nation by the death of the Duke of Clarence and Avondale, 
the second heir to the Crown. While on a visit to Sand- 
ringham, the Duke was attacked on the 9th of January by 
influenza and pneumonia in a severe form. He had caught 
cold at the funeral of Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langen- 
berg, another of the numerous victims of the insidious malady 
which then hung like a pall over the country. In the case 
of the Duke of Clarence, inflammation of the lungs super- 
vened at an early stage. All efforts to arrest the complication 
of disorders proved unavailing, and on the morning of the 
sixth day after he had been taken ill he succumbed, never 
having rallied under the skillful treatment and unremitting 
care of which he was the object. His death, which occurred 
on the 14th of January, was only within a few weeks of the 
date fixed for his marriage with his cousin, the Princess May. 

A memorial service for the Duke was held privately at 
Sandringham. The coffin containing the body having been 
removed from Sandringham House to the church, the service 
was performed in the presence only of the members of the 
family and the household. The body of the Duke was then 
conveyed to Windsor, where a military service was held, 
attended by the representatives of various foreign countries, 



THE Imperial institute. 189 

and chief dignitaries of State. Memorial services were 
simultaneously held in St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster 
Abbey, and at nearly all parish churches, Nonconformist 
chapels, and Jewish synagogues throughout the country. 
Services were also held in various places on the Continent, 
and in India and the Colonies. General mourning was 
observed throughout Great Britain. 1 

An imposing spectacle was witnessed on the loth of May, 
when the Queen went in great state from Buckingham Palace 
to Kensington to open the Imperial Institute. She was re- 
ceived with great enthusiasm by the crowds which thronged 
the route. The inaugural ceremony took place in a tempo- 
rary building erected on the site of the great hall of the 
Institute. It was provided with seats for 2,000 spectators, 
among whom were the Indian princes, the leading members 
of the Ministry and Opposition, numerous representatives of 
the diplomatic body, the Judicial Bench, both Houses of Par- 
liament, State dignitaries, the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs, and 
other distinguished personages. The hall was lavishly deco- 
rated with scarlet cloth and bannerets, and a sumptuous 
Indian carpet was laid along the whole length of the floor. 
The ladies were in plain morning dress, but brilliant uniforms 
abounded, and the hall presented a splendid appearance, the 
only vacant places being on the dais set apart for members 
of the royal family, and where, attracting all eyes, stood the 
gilt chair of state reserved for the Queen. '^ 

The appearance of a corps of gentlemen-at-arms in uni- 
forms of scarlet and gold, with white-plumed casques, indi- 
cated the arrival of the royal party. A fanfare of trumpets 
and a roll of drums heralded the approach of her Majesty. 
With some little assistance the Queen mounted the steps 



ig6 tliE DUKE OF YORK WEDS. 

of the dais and took her seat in the chair of state, bowing 
right and left as she smilingly acknowledged the homage of 
those assembled. The Prince of Wales then, amidst per- 
fect silence, read an address setting forth the objects of the 
Institute, and stating that all parts of the Empire had con- 
tributed to its erection. The address concluded with the 
expression of a confident hope that the Institute would not 
only be a record of the growth and prosperity of the Empire, 
but also tend to increase that prosperity by stimulating 
enterprise and promoting scientific and technical knowledge. 

With a profound bow the Home Secretary now handed 
the Queen the reply, which her Majesty read. It is rarely 
that the Queen's voice is heard in public, and in all that great 
assembly not a rustle disputed with its clear silvery tones as 
her Majesty acknowledged the address. After an Imperial 
March, specially composed by Sir Arthur Sullivan, had been 
played, the Prince of Wales came forward and said : " I have 
received the Queen's commands to declare this JDuilding open 
and inaugurated." A grand flourish of trumpets in the porch 
of the great hall followed the declaration, and then the Prince 
of Wales, taking a jeweled key, opened a model of the Insti- 
tute. Three strokes of a bell announced that the lock was 
turned, and a moment after a joyous peal from the belfry of 
the Queen's tower proclaimed to the assembled thousands the 
completion of the ceremony. The Archbishop of Canter- 
bury pronounced the benediction, after which Madame 
Albani sang ** God Save the Queen." 

The wedding of the Duke of York and the Princess 
May early in June, 1893, created much popular enthusiasm. 
On the 4th a State performance of Gounod's " Romeo and 
Juliet " was given at the Royal Italian Opera, Covent Gar- 



tHiRD LINEAL HEIR. I9I 

df.n, by command of the Queen, in honor of the guests 
invited to the wedding. The marriage ceremony took place 
on the 6th, in the Chapel Royal of St. James's Palace. 
Although the day had not been proclaimed a public holiday, 
the event was celebrated as such in most parts of the Queen's 
dominions. In London great preparations were made along 
the route of the wedding procession. The dense crowds in 
the streets equaled those which assembled on the occasion 
of the Queen's Jubilee. Some days after the celebration the 
Queen addressed a letter to the nation, expressing in touch- 
ing terms her sense of the welcome given to her ** beloved 
grandson, the Duke of York, and his dear bride," on the 
occasion of their wedding. 

On the 24th of May, 1894, the Queen's seventy-fifth birth- 
day was celebrated with much rejoicing at home and abroad, 
and a review of about 11,000 troops was held at Aldershot 
under the command of the Duke of Connaught. In June 
her Majesty was gratified by the intelligence that a son had 
been born to the Duke and Duchess of York — an event 
which provided a third lineal heir to the throne of Great 
Britain and Ireland. 

Two interesting ceremonies were performed in May and 
June by the Prince of Wales, acting on behalf of the Queen. 
The first was the opening of the new buildings of the Royal 
College of Music at Kensington, erected at an expense of 
^45,000. The second was the formal opening of the new 
Tower Bridge, which had been begun in 1886. The total 
length of the bridge and abutments was 940 feet, and the 
opening span about 200 feet. The total cost of erection was 
estimated at ;^i, 250,000. 

In March, 1895, the Queen left England for Nice, accom- 



19^ Her MAjlSSTY ABROAD. 

panied by the Princess Henry of Battenberg. Her Majesty 
resided at the Grand Hotel de Cimiez, which is situate in the 
midst of lovely scenery. As the weather was superb she 
greatly enjoyed her stay in the south. Many of the digni- 
taries of the place were entertained at the royal board. The 
famous Battle of Flowers at Nice received fresh distinction 
from the attendance of her Majesty, whose carriage occupied 
a point of vantage at the opening of the Rue du Congr^s. 
The town band played " Rule Britannia " when she appeared, 
and " God Save the Queen " when she departed. The royal 
carriage was speedily littered with tiny bouquets, and her 
Majesty duly acknowledged the compKments showered upon 
her. From the Fetes Committee she accepted a banner of 
pink satin, trimmed with blue ribands. To the Mayor, Comte 
de Malaussena, she expressed her pleasure at witnessing the 
spectacle ; and her thanks for his present of a basket of 
violets. 

During her Majesty's stay on the Riviera she attended, 
with the members of her family, a special service in the 
Anglican church at Cannes in memory of the Duke of 
Albany. 

On the 14th of December, the usual memorial service in 
remembrance of the Prince Consort and the Princess Alice 
was held at the Royal Mausoleum, Frogmore. The Queen, 
the Prince and Princess of Wales, and other members of the 
royal family were present, and the day was rendered spe- 
cially memorable, inasmuch as it witnessed the birth of a 
second son to Prince George, the happy event occurring 
early in the morning at Sandringham. 




< 

a 
c 

w 

Eh 

s 




'iHB. Duke of Clarence and Avondale, and Princess Victoria May of Teck. 



THREE-SCORE YEARS 

ON 

THE THRONE. 



CHAPTER XII. 

ONE of the saddest events of the later years of the 
Queen's reign was the death of Prince Henry of Bat- 
tenberg, who departed this life January 20th, 1896. There 
had been trouble of a serious nature on the African coast. 
The King of Kumassi had proclaimed himself King of 
Ashanti. The English policy on the gold coast had been 
greatly hampered, and it was proposed to send a British 
Commissioner to Kumassi. This the dusky king refused to 
allow, and it was therefore thought wise to send an expedi- 
tion to subdue him. Prince Henry volunteered to accom- 
pany it. He was attacked by the African fever, but after a 
season rallied and was thought to be getting well. 

Within a few days, however, the Court and the nation were 
plunged in gloom. On the 226. the sad news arrived that 
the Prince had died on the night of the 20th on board the 
cruiser " Blonde," which was conveying him from Cape Coast 
Castle to Madeira. The attack of African fever from which 
the Prince was suffering had shown no very grave symptoms 
up to the time when he embarked on board the '* Blonde,'* 
but on the 19th there was a relapse, from which he was too 
weak to rally. 

When the news of the Prince's death first arrived, it was 
the Queen herself who, with the Duke of Connaught, under- 
took to communicate the sad tidings to Princess Beatrice. 

193 



194 THE PRINCE'S DEATH. 

The Princess at first scarcely realized the dreadful news. 
She had naturally been anxious regarding her husband's 
health for some days, but all the reports agreed that he was 
getting better ; and so satisfied were the royal family of this 
that a dinner party was to have been given the same night 
in honor of the officers of the Flying Squadron, to be fol- 
lowed by a theatrical performance at the Palace. 

The news was a terrible shock to her Majesty and to the 
'"iridowed Princess, whose latest previous information as to 
*ihe state of her husband's health had been favorable. 

The " Blonde " arrived at Madeira on the 30th of January, 
having on board the embalmed body of the Prince. The 
body was transferred to the " Blenheim," which vessel was 
followed by a procession of nine boats. Minute guns were 
fired, and the band of the "Blenheim" played the Dead 
March in Saul, and the National Anthem. When the body 
was brought alongside, the ship's bells were tolled, and the 
remains having been taken on board, a short service was read 
by the Rev. James Blunn, chaplain of the " Blenheim." The 
British Consul and Vice-Consul and others were present. 
The Municipal Council of Funchal sent a beautiful wreath. 
All the flags on the forts and in the harbor were at half-mast. 

The Prince's body was contained within three inclosures — 
a shell, a leaden casket, and an outer coffin — the last being 
of polished oak with brass fittings. The inscription on the 
name-plate, which was surmounted by a cross, read as fol- 
lows: "Henry Maurice, Prince of Battenberg, Knight of the 
Most Noble Order of the Garter. Born at Milan, October 
5, 1858. Died January 20, 1896, on board H. M. S. ' Blonde,* 
off the African coast, on returning from the Ashanti Expedi- 
tion. ' Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.' " 



FUNERAL AT WHIPPINGHAM. 195 

It was decided, in accordance with the testamentary wishes 
of the dead Prince, that his funeral should take place at 
Whippingham, in the Isle of Wight, instead of at Windsor. 
It was also decided that the funeral should be a military one. 

There were some departures from the strict letter of the 
regulations appointed for the solemn military display at the 
interment of the Prince. But among these deviations there 
were none which were not justified abundantly either by the 
royal rank of the Prince whom so many illustrious persons 
assembled to honor at the last, or by the accompanying cir- 
cumstances. Certainly the result — that is to say, the impres- 
sion left upon the minds of those who saw the coffin carried 
from the " Alberta " to the gun-carriage, who watched its 
slow progress up the hill toward Whippingham Church, who 
saw it lifted from the gun-carriage and carried through the 
lych-gate of the church, while the pall-bearers, royal person- 
ages and representatives of royalty, stood in a semicircle 
and saluted — left nothing to be desired. Nothing could be 
more impressive, unless it were the scene within the church 
itself when, before the eyes of the Sovereign and Princess 
Beatrice and members of the royal family, and in the sight 
of representatives of many foreign monarchs, the body of the 
Prince who met his death on active service on behalf of his 
adopted country was laid to its rest. 

At the church itself nothing to equal the wealth and beauty 
of the flowers displayed had been since the day before the 
body of the late Duke of Clarence and Avondale was re- 
moved from Sandringham Church. The ceremony was very 
impressive. Even while the last hymn was being sung, the 
bearers filed silently into the chancel, and lifting the coffin 
from the bier, removed it to the adjoining mortuary chapel. 



1 96 MARRIAGE OF PRINCESS MAUD. 

A happy.and interesting event occurred toward the close 
of July, 1896, when Princess Maud of Wales was married to 
Prince Charles of Denmark in the private chapel of Buck- 
ingham Palace. The bride, who is the youngest child of the 
Prince and Princess of Wales, was in her twenty-seventh 
year. The bridegroom, who is the second son of the Crown 
Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark, was two years and 
four months younger than the bride, being in his twenty-fifth 
year. Being first cousins, they had seei) a good deal of each 
other from childhood, and the union was averred to be one 
of genuine affection. 

The marriage was solemnized on the 2 2d of July, and the 
weather was everything that could be desired. Six hundred 
wedding guests were invited, but not more than half of them 
could be accommodated in the little chapel of Buckingham 
Palace, the overflow having to content themselves with watch- 
ing the elaborate processions pass through the Palace. The 
chapel was beautifully decorated with flowers, and the gay 
dresses, bright uniforms, and flashing jewels of the company, 
lent brilliance to the scene. 

The scene in the chapel was most brilliant, with the 
magnificent costumes of the ladies, and the gorgeous diplo- 
matic, naval, military, and other uniforms. Lord Salisbury, 
Lord Rosebery, and others wore the Trinity House garb of 
dark blue, with gold facings, but most conspicuous of all 
those who wore this uniform, as well as the most observed 
of all present, after the Queen and the bride and bridegroom, 
was the veteran statesman, Mr. Gladstone. Accompanied 
by Mrs. Gladstone, he occupied a prominent position on the 
right side of the altar. 

The marriage service was choral, the choir from the Royal 



TWO WEDDING BREAKFASTS. 1 97 

Chapel being strengthened by voices from St. George's 
Chapel, Windsor. The performance of the nuptial cere- 
mony took place in accordance with the usages of the Church 
of England, and it was with quite a paternal air that the 
Archbishop of Canterbury proceeded to unite in holy wed- 
lock Maud Charlotte Mary Victoria, daughter of the Prince 
and Princess of Wales, and Christian Frederic Charles 
George Waldemar Axel of Denmark. The service over, the 
bride and bridegroom were kissed by the Prince of Wales — 
the bridegroom on both cheeks — and afterward by the other 
parents and the Queen. On receiving the kiss of the Queen, 
the bride and bridegroom knelt before her. The proces- 
sions were re-formed, and the parties repaired to the library, 
where the register was signed. 

There were two wedding breakfasts, one for the family and 
another for the guests. The toasts in each instance were 
the same — "The Bride and Bridegroom," "The Queen," 
'* The King and Queen of Denmark," and '* The Crown 
Prince and Princess of Denmark." These were given at the 
family breakfast by the Prince of Wales, and then that of 
" The Prince and Princess of Wales " was given by the Crown 
Prince of Denmark. The Queen did not attend the break- 
fast, but afterward privately took leave of the bride and 
bridegroom. 

At a State banquet given at Copenhagen on the day of 
the marriage, King Christian proposed the health of Queen 
Victoria, and expressed his thanks to her Majesty for the 
cordial reception accorded to his grandson. In proposing 
the toast of the bride and bridegroom, his Majesty wished 
the royal pair every happiness from the bottom of his 
heart, adding: "I hope that the bride may be as greatly 



198 THE BIRTHDAY OF HER MAJESTY. 

beloved in the land of her adoption as is her mother in 
England." 

The 23d of September, 1896, formed a memorable land- 
mark in British history. On that date her Majesty, the 
Queen, had reigned more days than any other Sovereign of 
the realm. In view of this event, the Government were 
questioned in the House of Lords as to whether they would 
introduce a measure constituting that day a public holiday in 
honor of the auspicious and extraordinary occurrence. Lord 
Salisbury replied that, while fully sympathizing with the feel- 
ing which had prompted the question, he thought that if it 
should please Parliament to give effect to its loyal sentiments 
in the particular manner suggested, the birthday of her 
Majesty next year would be a more appropriate occasion for 
the purpose than the 23d of September, 1896. The Queen 
herself also approved this view, but it is not perhaps surpris- 
ing that many of her loyal subjects looked forward to cele- 
brating her Majesty's long reign in an unofficial manner on 
that noteworthy day, the 23d of September. 

Ultimately, the Secretary of State for the Home Depart- 
ment was commanded by the Queen to intimate that, while 
she was much gratified to observe such general expressions 
of loyalty and affection toward her, in regard to the fact 
that she would shortly have reigned for a longer period than 
any other British Sovereign it was her Majesty's wish that, 
should she be spared to rule over her beloved people for 
such a period, any recognition or celebration of that event 
should be reserved until she had actually completed a reign 
of sixty years. 



BEHIND GILDED GATES; 

OR, 

DOMESTIC MISCELLANY. 

VERY characteristic is the manner in which Queen Vic« 
toria received the news of her succession to the throne, 
on the night of the 19th to the 20th of June, 1837. The young 
Princess had just celebrated her i8th birthday and was then a 
blooming girl full of life and spirit who, if not regularly 
pretty, yet possessed a charm of her own quite undeniable in 
its winning grace and sweetness. 

A little after three o'clock in the morning the Archbishop 
of Canterbury, the Lord Chamberlain, and Sir Henry Hal- 
ford (the Royal physician) , who at twenty minutes after two 
o'clock had seen King William die, went off from Windsor to 
the palace at Kensington to hail the Princess Victoria as 
Queen. 

When they reached the Palace all its inmates were wrapped 
in profound slumber, and it was only with the greatest diffi- 
culty that they could obtain admission. After some delay the 
young Princess came to them, wrapped in a loose white 
dressing gown with her magnificent hair falling over her 
shoulders and with her eyes full of tears. She entered the 
room with her mother by her side. Neither were unpre- 
pared for the news, but the Princess was nevertheless greatly 
affected, and it went forth to the world as an omen of the 
happiest augury that the young girl had " wept to learn she 
was Queen." 

199 



aOO WITHIN ROYAL PALACES. 

As she entered the room the Archbishop and his two com- 
panions dropped on one knee before her and kissing her hand 
hailed her as Queen. Then, by the special request of the new 
sovereign, they all knelt together in prayer, the Archbishop 
invoking a blessing on the era about to open for the Princess 
and the people of Great Britain. It may therefore be said 
that Queen Victoria's reign was begun by prayer. 

The young Queen had been carefully trained with her high 
destiny in view. She had not been much before the public, 
though by judicious travel she had become acquainted with a 
considerable part of her future kingdom. Her education had 
been conducted by the Duchess of Northumberland, under 
the constant superintendence of her mother, the Duchess of 
Kent, who devoted the privacy of her second widowhood to 
the preparation of her daughter for public duty, and her per- 
fect demeanor and bearing when she first assumed her duties 
as a sovereign filled everybody with admiration and wonder. 

The reign, therefore, not only began most successfully, but 
with unusual anticipation and satisfaction. A new era had 
indeed begun, for from that time Court profligacy and Court 
extravagance were at an end in England. The young Queen 
paid her father's debts in the first year of her reign, paid her 
mother's debts in the second year, and never incurred any 
debts herself, nor asked Parliament for any addition to her 
income. 

The Coronation took place on June 28th, 1838, and there 
was more than usual splendor displayed at the ceremony, and 
more than usual rejoicing all over the land. 

The scene in Westminster Abbey was a brilliant spectacle. 
A large proportion of the gentlemen present were either in 
military or official attire, and the Ambassadors were superbly 




Lord Hartington : Duke of Di.vonshirh;. 
Successor of Mr Gladstone as Leader of tp'e Liberal Party. 




Justin McCakthy, M. P. 



CHAlR OF Homage* 263 

arrayed, one of them. Prince Esterhazy, being covered with 
diamonds, even to the heels of his boots, whilst the peers 
were in robes of State, and the peeresses " shone like a rain- 
bow " in their profusion of precious gems. 

The Queen walked up the nave escorted by two Bishops, 
eight daughters of English Dukes bearing her train, and fifty 
ladies of rank holding offices in her household following. 
The Archbishop of Canterbury having presented Her Majesty 
as the " undoubted Queen of the realm," the building re- 
sounded with the shouts of " God save Queen Victoria." 

The customary ceremonials followed, and then the final act 
was performed by the Archbishop reverently placing the 
Crown on the Queen's head. The peers and peeresses at 
the same moment put on their coronets, and the effect of the 
flashing jewels as this was done was startling in its brilliancy. 
The Queen was then enthroned in the Chair of Homage, and 
the peers came forward in turn, touched the Crown, and knelt 
and kissed her hand. 

It is a testimony to the truly womanly and domestic char- 
acter of the Queen that her marriage was, what it should be 
to every woman, the central event of her life, the point on 
which her whole after history turned. It was generally known 
that before she came to the Throne an intimate friendship had 
existed between the young Princess and her maternal cousins, 
the sons of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg Gotha. Albert, the 
younger of these two sons, was three months younger than his 
cousin, "the Mayflower," as the PrIncessVictoria was designated 
by their maternal grandmother. It was, of course, for the Queen 
to ask Prince Albert to marry her, and not for him to ask her, 
and on the 1 5th of October, whilst he was on a visit at Windsor, 
she sent for him to her room, where he found her alone. They 



204 ^HE ROYAL MARRIAGE. 

talked for a few minutes, and then she told him her love, and 
that it would ensure her whole life's happiness if she married 
him. I need not add that the Prince responded with heartfelt 
gratitude and joy to this outburst of affection on the part of 
the young sovereign, and that halcyon hours began for them 
both on that memorable day. 

Victoria had nevertheless not only to declare her love to 
the man of ber choice ; she had on a later day to tell it to the 
assembled Privy Council. " Precisely at two," she went in. 
The room was full. Lord Melbourne, then Prime Minister, 
looked kindly at her with tears in his eyes, but he was not 
near the Queen. She then read her short declaration. She 
was trembling violently, but did not make one mistake, and 
she felt most happy and thankful when it was over. 

The marriage was not long delayed. The wedding was cele- 
brated on the loth of February, 1840, with a splendor unu- 
sual, even in Royal marriages, and the popular rejoicing was 
universal. Contrary to the established custom, by which Royal 
marriages have been performed in the evening, the Queen's 
marriage took place at one o'clock in the afternoon, and thus 
a new precedent was set which was followed all through the 
reign. 

The Prince, with his father and brother, left the Bucking- 
ham Palace at a quarter to twelve for St. James's Palace, and 
half an hour later the Royal bride made the same journey, 
accompanied by the Duchess of Kent. The streets passed 
through rang with joyous acclamations. The Queen was 
dressed in white satin, with a deep trimming of Honiton lace. 
She also wore a Honiton veil, and was wreathed in orange- 
blossoms. The satin was manufactured at Spitalfield's, and 
the lace at Honiton. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the 



ALBERT, PRINCE CONSORT. 20^ 

Bishop of London took the service, and the Queen made the 
promise of " obedience " to her newly-naturalized subject. 
Then the cannons roared from the Tower and the parks, and 
the bells of London and Westminster pealed forth their con- 
gratulations. The wedding breakfast was given at Bucking- 
ham Palace. 

The marriage was immensely popular. It was a true-love 
match, and the people rejoiced in it as though no such mar- 
riage of affection had ever taken place before. There was, 
however, a good deal of difficulty about settling the position 
of the Prince Consort. Parliament had given him ;,^30,ooo 
a year, instead of ;^5o,ooo, which had been asked. His own 
good sense solved the difficulty of his position. In a letter to 
the Duke of Wellington, declining the command of the army 
which had been foolishly offered him, he described the prin- 
ciple on which he had acted from the first. It was to " sink 
his own individual position in that of the Queen — to aim at 
no power by himself or for himself, but to be the head of hef 
household, her sole confidential adviser in politics, and only 
assistant in her communications with the officers of the Gov- 
ernment." Even in this line, to which he rigidly adhered, 
Prince Albert was often exposed to public suspicion, and at 
one period to considerable unpopularity. He certainly took 
much part in foreign affairs, and his very last act was to write 
a memorandum for the Queen on the communication which 
the Government proposed to make the United States on the 
affair of Trent. He wrote this on his death-bed on the ist 
December, 1861. 

The Queen was reverenced, as no other English monarch 
had ever been before, for domestic virtues which few other 
English sovereigns have ever possessed. She was known ta 



^06 AN HEIR TO THE THRONE. 

be a good mother, and Prince Albert was known to be a 
good father; and by these unusual titles to popular affection 
they gave new strength and popularity to the Throne itself. 

The first of the Royal children to present itself was Vic- 
toria Adlaide Mary Louisa, Princess Royal of England, now 
the widowed Empress Frederick, of Germany. She was born 
at Buckingham Palace on November 21st, 1840. It is the 
constitutional duty of the members of the Privy Council to 
be in attendance at the birth of an Heir to the Throne ; and, 
consequently, when the birth was announced there were pres- 
ent at the Palace the Lord Chancellor, Lord Melbourne, Lord 
Palmerston, Sir John Russell, and many others, with the Duch- 
ess of Kent, the Duke of Sussex, the Archbishop of Canter- 
bury, and a host of medical men. They received an early in- 
troduction to the Princess, but as the young lady was rather 
noisy, she was soon taken away. The Tower guns were fired 
in honor of the event, and there were many rejoicings in the 
country. On the 9th of the same month in the following 
year, the career of the Prince of Wales had its beginning. 
He was born at Buckingham Palace, the hour being eleven 
o'clock. He was also introduced at once to the Privy Coun- 
cillors and other distinguished people, who signed a declara- 
tion in the usual way as to the birth of an heir to the British 
Crown. This second event made the Queen very happy. 

The Prince was christened with great ceremonial at St. 
George's Chapel, Windsor Palace, on January 25th, 1842, the 
King of Prussia being chief sponsor. He was christened 
Albert Edward, the second name being that of his maternal 
grandfather, the Duke of Kent. 

Prince Alfred Ernest Albert, afterward Duke of Edinburgh, 
was born in August, 1844. The Princess Helena (Princess 



VICTORIA A WIDOW. 207 

Christian), was born in 1846; Princess Louise (Marchioness 
of Lome) in 1848; Prince Arthur (Duke of Connaught), in 
1850; Prince Leopold (late Duke of Albany), in 1853; and 
Princess Beatrice (Princess Henry of Battenberg), in 1857. 

The totally unexpected death of Prince Albert was to the 
Queen so terrible a blow that she can be said never to have 
recovered from it. Like a destructive flash of lightning out 
of a perfectly clear sky, came the announcement of Decem- 
ber 8th, 1 861, that he was confined to his room by a very 
bad cold. A few days later the statement was made that he 
was suffering from fever, but that it was not attended by 
serious symptoms, though likely to be prolonged. In another 
day he was somewhat worse, but still no public apprehension 
was felt, and when, at midnight on Saturday, the 14th, the 
people who live within its sound heard St. Paul's bell tolling, 
and when on Sunday morning the people in the great towns 
were arrested by a funeral knell, nobody thought at first the 
meaning of the unusual sounds. The news on that fateful 
Sunday morning met the people on their way to church and 
chapel that the Prince had died at ten minutes to eleven the 
night before, and was everywhere received with consternation 
and surprise. 

The body of the Prince Consort now rests in the noble 
mausoleum erected by the Queen at Frogmore. Since the 
death of her husband, the Queen — while not neglecting State 
affairs — has lived to a large extent a retired life, and the cere- 
monial duties of her position have been chiefly borne by the 
Prince and Princess of Wales. 

Prince Albert was in the very zenith of his fame and hap- 
piness when he was taken away. The Queen herself said of 
his death, that the loss to her was so great that It would be 



';lo8 PRINCE OF WALES WEDS. 

the beginning' of a new reign. It was practically the begiu- 
ning of a new reign. The Queen's widowhood severed her 
from politics. The Court was eclipsed ; and for several years 
the widowed Queen made no public appearances. 

The great event of the year 1863 was the marriage of the 
Prince of Wales with Alexandra, daughter of the King of 
Denmark. The whole country was alive with excitement and 
rejoicing. The Princess was accompanied to England by her 
father, mother, and sister, and was met at Gravesend by the 
Prince of Wales, who drove with her through the streets of 
London, amid the enthusiastic cheering of enormous crowds. 

When Eton was reached, on the way to Windsor, the boys 
cheered again for the beautiful young Princess. The wedding 
took place at St. George's Chapel, on the loth of March, the 
Queen attending in widow's weeds, but taking no part in the 
proceedings. All the other members of the family were 
present with the Prince of Prussia and members of many 
Royal families abroad. The Princess wore a dress of white 
satin and Honiton lace, with a silver-moire train. Her jew- 
elry was very magnificent, a riviere of diamonds, presented 
by the City of London, being alone worth ^50,000. An opal 
and diamond bracelet which she wore was the gift of the 
ladies of Manchester. At the close of the ceremony, the 
bride and bridegroom returned to the Castle, where they were 
received by the Queen. London and many other towns 
were brilliantly illuminated that night, and the scale on which 
the rejoicings were held proved the truth of the Laureate's 
line, " We are each all Dane In our welcome of thee." The 
honeymoon of the Royal pair was spent at Osborne, the 
Queen's beautiful home in the Isle of Wight. 

A mournful incident, which brought the Royal family withiiJ 



OLD SORROWS RE-OPENED. 209 

the circle of personal sympathy, even of multitudes who have 
never seen them, was the death of Princess Alice, on the 14th 
of December, 1878. The death of the Princess on the anni- 
versary of the death of the Prince Consort was naturally felt 
by the Queen as a re-opening of the old sorrows. She had 
been her father's tender and watchful nurse ; she had lived as 
the exemplary wife of a Prince who was not rich as English 
Princes are ; and she died of diphtheria caught in the nursing 
of one of her children. 

A few years ago a great sensation was caused in European 
circles by the anonymous publication of a book which, under 
the title of the Roi de Thessalie, gave a very graphic and 
detailed account of the matrimonial adventures of the reign- 
ing Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt, the husband of the 
late Princess Alice, of Great Britain. 

Notwithstanding her reported denial, there is not the slight- 
est doubt but that the author of the book was Mme. de 
Kalomine, the divorced wife by second marriage of the Grand 
Duke, and if any further proofs thereof were needed beyond 
those contained in the narrative itself, the fact of its having 
been dedicated to the Grand Duchess Serge, of Russia, 7tef 
Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt, the only lady of the Royal 
family who showed any sympathy to her father's morganatic 
wife, would be sufficient to convince the most skeptical. 

Under the most transparent of pseudonyms the story of 
the whole scandal is given, showing the part taken therein by 
Queen Victoria, and it is needless to add that the appearance 
of the book excited intense wrath in exalted quarters. 

M. de Kalomine, who was at the time Russian Charge 
d' Affaires at Darmstadt, became jealous of the unconcealed 
admiration on the part of the Grand Duke for his lovely wife, 



2IO SCANDAL IN HIGH LIFE. 

on whose account he had already been obliged to fight three 
duels. Warned by an anonymous letter, he met her as she 
was riding home alone from a tete-a-tete promenade with the 
Grand Duke in the Heiligenberg woods, and accused her of 
being the paramour of the sovereign at whose Court he was 
accredited; he lashed her face repeatedly with his riding- 
whip, causing her horse to bolt. Falling from her saddle, and 
slightly injured, she was carried home, and remained confined 
three weeks to her bed with an attack of brain fever. On 
her recovery she found that in consequence of a private tele- 
gram from the Grand Duke her husband had been recalled, 
and had been dispatched on a special mission to Japan. 

About a week after Mme. de Kalomine's recovery the 
Grand Duke visited her, and having declared his love, urged 
her to ask for a divorce on the ground of her husband's 
ill-treatment, and afterward to marry him. Louis IV of 
Hesse-Darmstadt, who was then only a little over forty years 
old, was still one of the handsomest and finest specimens of 
manhood in Europe, and it was not difficult for him to per- 
suade her to separate from M. de Kalomlne, who, with his 
correctly-trimmed whiskers, short, stout figure, and generally 
graceless appearance, presented but a sorry contrast to the 
Grand Duke. 

Ten months later, in the spring of 1884, Mme. de Kalomine 
obtained her divorce, and the date on which she was free to 
marry again fell just two days before that fixed for the wed- 
ding of Princess Victoria of Hesse to Prince Louis of Batten- 
berg. Mme. de Kalomine lived so retired and quietly during 
the whole time that althouofh the Grand Duke's admiration 
for her was whispered about the city, nobody dreamed that 
anything serious was about to happen. 




tilB ROBEKT PEKI-. 



AN AUDACIOUS ACT. ^13 

The day before the arrival of Queen Victoria to attend the; 
wedding of her granddaughter, Mme. de Kalomine entreated 
the Grand Duke to hesitate before finally uniting himself to 
her. She had fears as to the future, and reminded him that 
Queen Victoria was most anxious that he should marry 
Princess Beatrice as soon as ever the Deceased Wife's Sister 
Bill had been passed in the English Parliament. The Grand 
Duke smilingly remarked in reply that his respected mother- 
in-law would know nothing about the matter until after the 
ceremony, when it would be too late for any kind of obstruction. 

On the following day Queen Victoria reached Darmstadt 
with Princess Beatrice. At length the day — April 30th, 1884 
'^fixed for the marriage of Princess Victoria arrived. The 
wedding was to take place without much pomp and ceremony 
in the evening. At 1 1 o'clock on the morning of the same 
day the secret marriage between the Grand Duke and Mme. 
de Kalomine took place in the Palace Chapel. The only per- 
sons present were the Ministers of Justice and of the Interior. 
At the moment of the benediction a terrible thunder-storm ap- 
peared to predict troubles and sorrows to the newly married 
couple, who immediately retired to the very room used by the 
late Princess Alice as her boudoir, where they remained seve- 
ral hours, while the old Minister of the Interior guarded the 
door, frightened out of his wits lest the Queen should notice 
her son-in-law's prolonged absence. 

At 5 o'clock the grand ceremony of Princess Victoria's mar- 
riage took place. The royal cortege entered the chapel, the 
Grand Duke leading his daughter, the Queen following alone, 
then Princess Beatrice, and following her the Crown Prince 
and Princess of Germany, the Prince and Princess of Wales, 
the Battenberg family, etc. 



214 *' WHERE ARE THEY NOW? 

' The Queen was not present at the subsequent State ban- 
quet, preferring to dine alone with her younger grandchildren. 
Suddenly, about 1 1 o'clock at night, when she was about to 
retire to rest, the Crown Prince of Germany arrived and de- 
manded an immediate audience on matters of the very high- 
est importance. The Queen, frightened by the agitation de- 
picted on his countenance, exclaimed, " Good heavens, Fritz, 
what has happened?" In a few words he informed her of 
the secret marriage which had taken place in the morning. 
On hearing this the Queen uttered a terrible cry. What ! the 
husband of her favorite daughter Alice had dared to desecrate 
the memory of his dead wife by marrying a divorced woman 
— a mere nobody ! She become so red in the face and ex- 
perienced such difficulty in getting her breath that the Crown 
Prince, fearing an apoplectic fit, was about to summon help, 
when she stopped him. "Where are they now?" she ex- 
claimed. 

The Prince Informed her that they had retired to rest over 
two hours ago. Furiously the old lady tore open her door 
and was about to rush to the Grand Duke's apartments, when 
the Crown Prince, foreseeing the scandal which would ensue, 
held her back by main force until she had become a little more 
calm. She then decided to summon the Grand Duke to her 
presence. 

The latter was suddenly awakened from his sweet slumbers 
by the knocking at the door of a chamberlain, who, In trem- 
bling accents. Informed his master that the Queen Insisted on 
his appearing before her at once. His wife, very rightly fear- 
ing the worst, clung to him in despair, crying that she would 
never see him again. Her husband soothed her with promises 
as best he could, and twenty minutes later stood in the presence 



DECREE OF EXPULSION. 21 5 

of his irate mother-in-law, with whom were gathered the 
Crown Prince and Princess of Germany, Princess Beatrice, 
and his own Ministers of Foreign Affairs and of Justice whom 
the Queen had summoned. 

"You must drive that horrible woman away this very night," 
exclaimed the latter, " and you must sign this decree of ex- 
pulsion which I have already had drawn up by your Ministers. 
Good God ! if I could drive the creature out of the place with 
my own hands/' shrieked the Queen frantically. The Grand 
Duke who, although a giant in stature, is blessed with the 
weakest of characters, and has absolutely no strength of mind, 
after some hesitation gave way to his mother-in-law's wrath 
and signed the document. 

His bride, who, notwithstanding her fright, had finally 
dropped off to sleep, was awakened about two hours later by 
the disagreeable old grand-mistress of the robes, who com- 
municated to her in the most offensive manner possible the 
Royal decree of expulsion and stated that she had orders not 
to leave her until she left the Palace. The unfortunate 
woman, on seeing her husband's signature to the document, 
understood that she was forsaken by the man who, but a few 
hours previously, had sworn to love and protect her. While 
she was hurriedly dressing, with the assistance of her Russian 
maid, a post-chaise, with an escort of about forty mounted 
police, stopped at the nearest door of the Palace, and she was 
hustled into it and rapidly driven to the nearest frontier. 
The only person to wish her God-speed was the old nurse of 
Princess Elizabeth (subsequent Grand Duchess Serge of 
Russia); who conveyed messages of sympathy and affection 
from her young mistress to the unfortunate woman, and 
brough to her the Princess's own rug, as the night was 



21 6 GRAND duke's WIFE. 

bitterly cold. As she drove away she caught a glimpse of 
the pale face of her husband peering out from the window, 
while at the next she perceived the angry face of the Queen. 
The ex-Mme. de Kalomine took refuge at a convent just 
across the frontier. Two days later a Royal messenger 
arrived bearing a written offer on the part of the Grand 
Duke to create her Countess of Romrod, and to confer on 
her the estate of the same name, on the condition that she 
would surrender all her rights as wife of the sovereign, and 
never ao-ain set foot within his dominions. 

o 

She contented herself with returning the letter with an in- 
dorsement to the effect " that the Grand Duke's wife is not 
prepared to sell her rights." Summoning the leader of the 
opposition party at Darmstadt, who happened to be a very 
clever lawyer, she placed the whole matter in his hands. The 
latter commenced by having a certified copy of the marriage, 
with the Grand Duke's signature, published in all the Ger- 
man papers, and then proceeded to defend his client in the 
action for divorce, on the ground of incompatibility of temper, 
which the Grand Duke had brought against her. So cleverly 
was she defended, that the action was about to fall to the 
ground, when, at the last moment, the Presiding Judge, won 
over by the promise of a much coveted title of nobility, 
suddenly remembered that the Grand Duke held a command 
in the German army, and that officers are not allowed to 
marry without the Emperor's permission. On these pre- 
posterous grounds the marriage was declared annulled and 
illegal and the divorce decreed. 

The poor woman now resides in relative poverty at Dres- 
den with the little boy, issue of her marriage with the Grand 
Duke. The latter, immediately after the expulsion, was taken 



MORNING AT WINDSOR. 21 7 

off to England by his mother-in-law, who managed to keep 
him at Balmoral for over three months, by which time he had 
got over any feelings of regret for his lovely wife. 

The Crown Prince and Princess of Germany left Darm- 
stadt in disgust on the very night of the scandal, and the 
Prince and Princess of Wales did not attempt to conceal their 
sorrow and regret of so unseemly an affair. 

Less than six years after the death of Princess Alice 
the Royal family had again to mourn a breach in 
its ranks. Prince Leopold had always been delicate, but of 
late years there had been more reason to hope that 
he might some day be well if not strong. He had gone to 
Cannes in the beginning of 1884 to escape from the asperlf- 
ties of an English spring. A sprain to his knee in running 
up-stairs laid him up, and a fit of epilepsy suddenly closed his 
life. He had not been married two years, and it was scarcelj^ 
three since he had taken his seat in the House of Lords as 
Duke of Albany. After his funeral the Queen wrote a lettef 
to the nation, expressing her deep sense of the sympathy 
that had been felt by Her Majesty and the Duchess of Albany 
in their bereavement. When this letter was published, the 
Queen had gone over to Darmstadt to be present at the mar- 
riage of Prince Louis, of Battenberg, with her granddaugh- 
ter, the Princess Victoria of Hesse. This marriage, as well 
as that of the Queen's youngest daughter to Prince Henry of 
B'attenberg, gave great offense to the Prince of Wales, and to 
most members of the Royal family. 

Prince Henry Is the son of the Princess Julia of Battenberg, 
whose blood is of the most plebeian hue, and whose brother, 
a Hebrew socialist, of the name of Hauke, was killed by the 
military during a riot in 1849. 
13 



21 8 HENRY OF BATTENBERG. 

The Queen's infatuation for her son-in-law, Henry of Bat- 
tenberg, was most extraordinary in a woman of her judgment 
and common sense, for the Prince, excepting for his good 
looks, had absolutely nothing to commend him. He was far 
from bright, and his conduct before and since his marriage had 
been anything but admirable. 

How securely he stood in the Queen's favor is shown by the 
fact that he could afford to leave Court from time to time and 
go either for cruises on the beautiful yacht presented to him 
by her Majesty, or else visit his brother Alexander, who in- 
curred her Majesty's bitterest resentment by frustrating her 
pet project of a marriage between him and her granddaughter, 
Princess Victoria of Prussia, whom he jilted on the very eve 
of the date appointed for their wedding at Windsor Castle, in 
order to become the husband of the beautiful actress, Mile. 
Loisinger. 

One of the most popular, unassuming, and kind-hearted of 
all the members of the British Royal family, however, is the 
widowed Duchess of Albany, who has recently come before 
the public in the role of ah inventor. 

The Duchess, though not beautiful, has a very sweet and 
attractive face, and while she has truly and sincerely mourned 
her husband, yet, on the whole, she cannot but be happier 
with her children now as a widow than she was as the wife of 
the youngest of Queen Victoria's sons. 

During the Duke's lifetime, after her marriage to him, she 
was never free from anxiety and care. For he was not only 
subject to terrible epileptic fits, but, moreover, he was deficient 
in the normal quota of epidermis. His veins and arteries 
were insufficiently covered and protected by skin, and the 
consequence was that the least exertion, the slightest scratch, 



THE DUCHESS OF ALBANY. 219 

was wont to bring on hemorrhages of the most alarming 
character. 

What rendered matters very difficult was that he was ex- 
tremely self-willed; and he insisted on marrying the Duchess, 
notwithstanding the fact that every one of his family was 
opposed to the match on the ground of his precarious health. 
He died very suddenly at Cannes, as I said above, in the 
midst of a terrible fit of epilepsy and hemorrhage combined, 
brought on by over-exertion. Indeed, so great was the 
hemorrhage that it gave rise at the time to a widespread 
rumor that he had slashed himself to death with sharp scissors 
during the throes of the fit. 

In one way, however, his marriage was a great relief to his 
family, for the Duke possessed the unfortunate habit while a 
bachelor of making friends and associates of people who 
were in every way unworthy of the honor. 

Indeed, on more than one occasion was the Prince of Wales 
forced to interfere in a rather vigorous and stern manner to 
prevent his youngest and best-loved brother from showing 
himself in public with men of more than questionable repu- 
tation, whose association with the Duke gave rise to many 
malicious rumors concerning his character. The Duchess is 
a sister of the Queen Regent of Holland, a widow like herself. 
Both are now in easy circumstances, and their present 
affluence presents a striking contrast to the bitter penury of 
their youth at the impoverished Court of their father, the 
reigning Prince of the tiny principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont. 

Only those who have had an opportunity of coming into 
frequent contact with Her Majesty the Queen are acquainted 
with the irritability and imperiousness of her character, which 
have not been diminished, but rather increased by a half a 



2 20 ROYAL DISPLEASURE. 

century of rulership over a considerable portion of the 
globe. 

Life at the English Court is by no means agreeable, and 
popular ideas as to the basking in the sunshine of Royalty 
are quickly dispelled by the frowns which so frequently cloud 
the countenance of " Her Most Gracious Majesty." The 
least trifle annoys her, and although under ordinary circum- 
stances a woman of extraordinary common sense, she be- 
comes at times utterly unreasonable, and even harsh. 

Some of the most loyal and deserving members of her 
household have been dismissed and turned away almost at a 
moment's notice, not for any misconduct, but merely because 
their appearance had ceased to please, and had become tire- 
some to her very capricious Majesty. 

There is one case, that of Lord Playfair, who, notwith- 
standing his long and devoted services to the Prince Consort, 
was removed from his post of gentleman-in-waiting because 
the Queen had objection to his legs, which, being short and 
deflected, did not appear to advantage in knee-breeches and 
silk stockings. Mr. Lyon Playfair, as he was then, has since 
been consoled by a peerage, and by his marriage to a very 
charming American girl, Miss Russel, of Boston. 

Although the Queen's irritability keeps the members of her 
household in perpetual apprehension of Royal displeasure 
and wiggings that are extremely Imperial in their vigor, yet 
she is constantly doing little acts of considerate and motherly 
kindness which endear her to both her immediate entourage 
and to her subjects. 

I saw the fact mentioned in a paper the other day that 
Queen Victoria had not enjoyed a dance since the year 1861, 
when she lost both her mother and her husband. This is 



BALLS FOR TENANTS. 221 

true as regards the State balls at Buckingham Palace, not one 
of which has been honored by her presence during the last 
thirty years. 

It is a great mistake, however, to believe that she has 
never danced since then. For at the tenants' and servants' 
balls, which she gives every year at Balmoral Castle during 
her stay in the Highlands, she has frequently trod a measure 
with some one of her favorite attendants, who, it may well 
be imagined, enjoy the privilege with a keen relish. 

Queen Victoria is by no means the only sovereign lady 
who is fond of dancing. Both Queen Marguerite of Italy ' 
and the Empress of Russia are passionately fond of waltzing, 
and are, moreover, indefatigable. They enjoy a very notable 
advantage over the remainder of their sex, for, whereas, 
under ordinary circumstances, women are forced to wait until 
invited to dance by men, ladies of royal rank have the privi- 
lege of selecting their partners. This they do through their 
chamberlains and gentlemen-in-waiting, who bear to the 
partner of their choice the Royal command to dance such 
and such a waltz with them. 

If the cavalier in question happens to be already engaged 
for the dance with some other lady, he is forced to leave her 
in the lurch, as everything has to give way to these Royal 
commands. 

The gardener of the Queen is a very Important personag^^ 
whose post is no sinecure, for Her Majesty absolutely refuses 
to eat any fruit save that which Is grown at Frogmore, near 
Windsor, and there Is a perpetual packing and sending off 
huge hampers of fruit and vegetables wherever the Queen 
may be. 

By the way, the Queen has now to be very careful about 



22 2 "EARL GREY'S MIXTURE." 

her diet, and never eats underdone beef, mutton, or veal 
Pork, Her Majesty never touches, except when made into 
sausages. Even the Royal cook has to chop the pork as fine 
as sand, and put plenty of stale bread-crumbs among the 
meat, and about ten grains of fine powdered dry sage in each 
sausage, and a little home-cured Melton Mowbray dried.' 
Unsmoked bacon is always cooked with the sausages. Crabs 
or lobsters are not thought of, and very seldom oysters. The 
game put on the table must be high, but not too much so, 
and black currant jelly is always on the table. Her Majesty 
is a very healthy woman, but not very strong. She drinks 
little, but at luncheon enjoys a small glass of bitter ale. Then 
there is always afternoon coffee and milk cake. 

The tea consumed by the Royal household in England is 
always bought at a quaint, old-fashioned shop in Pall Mall, 
and has been bought there during the reigns of Queen Vic- 
toria's five predecessors. It costs five shillings and four- 
pence a pound, and was for a long while known as " Earl 
Grey's Mixture," this nobleman having recommended this 
particular mixture to Her Majesty. 

When a dinner is given at Windsor or Buckingham Palace, 
fish to the extent of $250 worth is ordered; but for an ordi- 
nary family dinner three kinds of fish are put on the table, 
whiting being almost invariably one of them. A sirloin of 
beef is cooked every day, and is put on the sideboard cold for 
luncheon. The Queen takes after her dinner one water bis- 
cuit and a piece of Cheddar cheese ; the Prince of Wales 
eats a bit of Gorgonzola with a crust of home-made bread. 
The tea, the cheese, arid the royal bed are always taken along 
whenever the Queen travels. Her Majesty's wine, which is 
well known to be incomparable, is kept in the cellars of St. 



Victoria's " night-cap." 223 

James's Palace, and is sent in baskets of three dozen to 
wherever she may be, this being done more for the household 
and guests than for herself, as when alone she drinks only- 
very weak whiskey and water with her meals, by her physi- 
cian's orders. At banquets, however, she takes two glasses 
of Burgundy. The clerk of the Royal kitchens, who always 
carves, receives ^3,500 per annum, the head chef the same 
salary, and the confectioners $1,500 and $1,250. 

An allusion which I saw in a London letter, published by 
one of the New York newspapers, to Queen Victoria's fond- 
ness for a " nightcap," in shape of Auld Kirk whiskey and 
Apollinaris, reminds me of an incident which took place on 
one occasion on board the Royal yacht, " Victoria and Albert." 
The Queen and her ladies had settled themselves in what 
they considered to be a very sheltered place, protected by 
the paddle-box ! Suddenly, she observed a commotion among 
the sailors, little knots of men talking together, in a myste- 
rious manner. First one officer came up, then another, look- 
ing puzzled, and at length the Captain appeared. 

The Queen, whose curiosity had been aroused, asked what 
was the matter, and laughingly inquired of the Captain whe- 
ther there was going to be a mutiny on board. The Captain 
replied that he really did not know what would happen unless 
Her Majesty were graciously pleased to remove her seat. 

" Move my seat !" exclaimed the Queen. " Why should I ? 
What harm am I doing here ?" 

" Well, ma'am," said the Captain, " the fact is that Your 
Majesty is sitting up against the door of the place where the 
grog tubs are kept, and so the men cannot have their grog." 

" Oh ! very well," smiled the Queen, " I will move on one 
condition — namely, that you bring me a glass of grog." 



2 24 FROGMORE, WINDSOR PARK. 

Frogmore, to which I alluded just now, when talking of the 
Queen's love for fruit, was the house in Windsor Park 
which was formerly Inhabited by the Queen's mother, the 
Duchess of Kent. In 1863 it was assigned to the Prince of 
Wales as a country residence at the time of his marriage. It 
was there that his eldest son, Prince Eddie, was born, some- 
what unexpectedly, I may say, for the Princess of Wales had 
spent the afternoon of the day on which he made his appear- 
ance in the world skating and sleighing on Virginia Water. 
The child was born so quickly after return home thg-t there 
was no time to summon either the doctors, the Cabinet Min- 
ister, who should have been in attendance, or even the nurse. 
It was Lady Macclesfield, the favorite lady-in-waiting of the 
Princess, who performed the duty of monthly nurse and sage" 
femme for her Royal mistress, and who was the first to greet 
the tiny Prince on his arrival in this world. 

The Prince of Wales soon afterward gave up Frogmore, 
finding It too damp, dreary, and above all, too near his mother, 
the Queen, for the latter Is exceedingly despotic with her chil- 
dren, exercising her authority over them not only as mother, 
but also as sovereign, and ordering them hither and thither, 
without any regard to their convenience, comfort, or Inclina- 
tions. The Prince loves his Independence, and therefore 
sees just as little of his respected mother as he can possibly 
contrive to do. One of his greatest annoyances when In her 
presence is that he cannot smoke. 

Queen Victoria, notwithstanding all that has been said to 
the contrary, has a very strong dislike to tobacco smoke, and 
smoking is strictly forbidden in all those parts of the Palace 
at Osborne, Windsor, or Balmoral which she frequents. 

Some time ago one of her Cabinet Ministers received a 



A TINY TODDLER. 225 

letter from her Private Secretary, General Sir Henry Pon- 
sonby, sayfng that Her Majesty begged that in future 
he would not send his dispatches saturated with tobacco 
smoke. 

The official in question turned the Royal snub onto a score 
of his colleagues, for he wrote to each in turn, saying that he 
had received a letter from the Queen, commanding that they 
should not smoke while writing their dispatches ! 

Her Majesty has, of late years, shown a tendency to ignore 
the claims and customs of Christmas. Before the Prince 
Consort died, in the days when the Queen's children were 
children indeed, Christmas created, literally, " a great stir " 
in the Royal house circle, for everybody had a hand in making 
the monster pudding that was subsequently to grace the 
Royal table, and great fun was invariably extracted out of 
the proceedings, but never did the mirth rise to such a pitch 
as on one memorable occasion when the Princess Beatrice, 
ihen the tiniest of toddlers, in reaching down into the recesses 
of the pan after a piece of candied peel, over-balanced her 
chubby little self, and tipped headforemost into the lithe 
mixture. 

She was rescued in a moment, but not before her fair, 
curly pate and face were a sticky mass of currants, raisins, 
peel, and spice. Perhaps the Royal family never enjoyed a 
heartier laugh together, and certainly Princess Beatrice never 
screamed so loudly ! 

It may possibly interest my lady readers to learn that all 
the washing of the Queen, the Princess of Wales, and. In 
fact, of the entire Royal family, is done at Richmond, where 
a laundry has been organized for the special behoof of the 
Royal households. 



2 26 HER majesty's ROBES. 

The wages there are exceedingly low, the employees being 
presumably satisfied for the paucity of their remuneration by 
the honor which they possess of washing the soiled linen of 
Royalty. All the dresses and robes that Her Majesty 
the Queen has ever worn are kept stored and laid by in 
large cabinets at Windsor Castle. None are either sold 
or given away. The practice is a very old one with the 
British Royalty. 



ENTERTAINMENTS 

AT 

BUCKINGHAM PALACE. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

QUEEN VICTORIA devotes ;^ 10,000, or ^50,000, every 
year to entertainments at Buckingham Palace. These 
consist of two State balls and two State Concerts, at 
each of which Her Majesty is represented by the Prince and 
Princess of Wales. The Queen limits the expense of the 
State balls to ^10,000 each, while that of the State concerts 
is fixed at ^15,000. Under no circumstances are these figures 
permitted by the sovereign to be exceeded. 

Court trains are not worn by the ladies at these entertain- 
ments, while the men, unless they belong to the army or 
the navy, are forced to don white knee-breeches and white 
silk stockings, which are very trying to the appearance. 

The second category of the Queen's guests are those who 
attend her periodical afternoon receptions at Buckingham 
Palace, which are known by the name of " Drawing-rooms," 
and which are held for the express purpose of permitting 
debutantes to be presented to the Royal family. 

The majority of American ladies who visit England for the 
first time appear to believe that presentation at the British 
Court carries with It the entree to London society, invitations 
to Court entertainments, and a personal acquaintance with 
the members of the Royal family. This is a great mistake, 
for there is so little exclusiveness displayed by the Lord 

227 



228 PRESENTATION AT COURT. 

Chamberlain's department, in restricting admission to the 
Queen's drawing-room, that the mere fact of presentation is 
absolutely without any social significance whatever. 

I may add the ventilation of the Palace is terribly defective, 
with the alternate intense heat and icy draughts most injurious 
to the health, and that the crush is intolerable. Everybody 
wants to get ahead of everybody else, in order to get through 
the presentation and back to her carriage, for a Court pres- 
entation practically involves leaving one's house at noon, 
alighting at the Palace an hour later, after interminable waits, 
and standing upon one's feet thereafter, and amid an elbow- 
ing, pushing, somewhat selfish throng of women, in an at- 
mosphere laden with strong perfumes, which are a combi- 
nation of artificial scents, natural flowers, and cosmetics, until 
about four or five o'clock, when one finally re-enters the car- 
riage, crumpled, dispirited, faint from hunger and fatigue, 
and thoroughly disappointed. 

All this is undergone for the mere sake of spending about 
sixty seconds in the Throne-room, just the time required to 
walk from the door up to the spot where stands the Queen, 
or, as is more generally the case, one of the Princesses repre- 
senting her, to whom a low courtesy is made. The Royal 
lady utters no word of welcome or greeting, but merely 
acknowledges the salute by a slight inclination of the head, 
and then the presentee has to back out of the room with all 
possible speed. 

When the Court is at Windsor, Invitations to the Castle 
are usually sent out by Sir John Cowell, but sometimes they 
come from the Lord Chamberlain, to whom the necessary 
instructions have been telegraphed from Windsor. Very 
short notice is given, and an invitation has sometimes reached 



THE GREEN DRAWING-ROOM. 229 

a guest on the afternoon of the day on which he was expected 
at the Castle. 

As a rule, the Queen's guests travel by the 6.30 train from 
Paddington, and on arriving at the visitors' entrance of the 
Castle they are received by the pages of the chamber, who 
always have a list of the people who are expected in their 
respective apartments. The company assemble in the corri- 
dor by half-past eight, everybody being in full dress, and 
those who have a right to wear the Windsor uniform are 
expected to array themselves In that hideous garb. The 
Queen enters at a quarter to nine with the members of the 
Royal family, and then the company at once go to dinner. 
The only personal intercourse between a guest and the 
hostess takes place after dinner in the corrider, when the 
Queen always converses for a few minutes with each visitor 
in succession ; and, after having gone round the circle, bows, 
and retires for the night. 

The Queen then goes to her own apartments, where she 
reads or writes, or listens to a reader for about an hour. 
Her Majesty occupies either her own sitting-room or the 
adjoining one, which was formerly Prince Albert's study. 

After the Queen has retired, the guests and the rest of 
the company adjourn to one of the drawing-rooms, of which 
there are three at Windsor, the Red, the White, and the 
Green, connected by doors covered with exquisite Chippen- 
dale carvings. These rooms are hung with portraits, and 
contain many cabinets which are virtually priceless. In the 
Green Drawing-Room Is a Sevres dessert service which Is 
valued at $250,000. 

It is a curious fact that Windsor Castle should be one of 
the only great palaces In Europe which Is not supposed to be 



230 HAJNTED PALACE. 

haunted, especially when it Is borne in mind that it has been 
the residence of the most cruel and bloodthirsty of English 
Kings. Hampton Court is haunted, so is the Tower, the 
latter by an undoubted ghost which has been on the walk for 
centuries. Whitehall was haunted by the headless spectre 
of Charles I as long as there was anything to haunt there ; in 
St. James's Palace, Queen CaroUne of Anspach, wife of 
George II, wanders at night in the Throne room, uttering 
moans of deep distress, throwing her shadowy hands over 
her head in an attitude of entreaty. At the Hofburg or Im- 
perial Palace of Vienna, the dread spectre of " The White 
Lady" roams around every time a misfortune is about to 
overtake the reigning family. It was last seen on the eve of 
the Crown Prince Rudolph's tragical death. At the Imperial 
Palace of Berlin a gigantic street sweeper, carrying a ghostly- 
looking broom, appears a week before the death of any 
member of the Hohenzollern race. In the Winter Palace at 
St. Petersburg it is a beautiful lady clothed in snowy draperies 
and crowned with white roses, who is the death messenger 
of the Romanoffs ; while, according to tradition, a little man 
dressed in scarlet haunted the Tuileries until the day when 
the Republic was proclaimed in France and the torches of 
the Commune reduced the grand old pile to ruin and ashes. 
The superb old Castle of Heidelberg is visited at midnight 
on the vigil of St. John by a whole procession of shadowy 
figures, dressed in the fashion prevailing under the reign of 
Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, and it is asserted that their 
advent is invariably heralded by strains of the sweetest and 
most enthralling music. 

Buckingham Palace is far from showy on the outside, and 
were it not for the red-coated sentinels who unceasingly 



BUCKINGHAM PALACE. 23I 

march up and down before the gates thereof, it would hardly 
give one the impression of being a Royal residence. The 
building has been considerably enlarged since it was first 
built, and is now used chiefly for drawing-rooms. State balls, 
and concerts, for the Queen seldom resides here for more 
than a few days at a time. 

The front of this ugly building gives no idea of the pleasant 
rooms situated at the back, and which overlook a large and 
beautiful garden, into which one steps through the French 
windows opening on to a green lawn, shaded all around by 
fine and well-grown trees, giving no indication in their luxuri- 
ant foliage of being in the midst of London. 

This verdant carpet leads to a crystal lake further on, 
where in quiet enjoyment broods of water-fowl and several 
swans live in contentment. 

The galleries, ball-room, and concert-room, which are 
reached from the staircase, are of great magnificence. Wall 
seats, draped in satin, are provided for the company assem- 
bling in these rooms for a ball, a concert, or any other Royal 
function, and at one end many handsome chairs are placed 
for the accommodation of Royalty, with the Throne-room 
further on, where the Queen receives her guests in state ; 
and where many debutantes with palpitating hearts, as well as 
more familiar habitues, have made their courtesies. 

The whole house is splendidly kept — not a suspicion of 
dust or anything, which in London means a great deal. 

The deer-forest is the great sporting feature of the Queen's 
Highland country-seat at Balmoral, and it is now one of the 
best in Scotland, yielding from eighty to a hundred stags every 
season. Balmoral forest extends to about 10,000 acres ; but 
the Queen leases from Mr. H. M. Gordon the adjoining 



232 QUEEN S DEER FORESTS. 

forests of Abergeldie and Whitemount, which give an addi- 
tional 7,500 acres. The latter forest contains the celebrated 
Corrie Bin, which is the favorite feeding-ground of the red 
deer, and fine sport is always obtained. In 1874 the Queen 
enlarged her estate by purchasing from the late Colonel Far- 
quharson, of Ivercauld, the magnificent forest of Ballochbuie, 
extending to 10,000 acres, which "marches" with the Balmo- 
ral ground. 

The scenery is very grand in all parts of the Queen's 
forest, and, owing to the excellent configuration of the ground, 
three rifles may be out at the same time without interfering 
with each other's sport in any way. There is quite a net- 
work of bridle-paths in all directions, so that every part of 
the forest is easily reached. Prince Albert was a keen deer- 
stalker, and a fine shot. In Balmoral forest, on the Meikle 
Pass, the Queen has erected a cairn to mark the spot where 
the Prince shot his last stag, which was in October, 1861, on 
the day before he left Balmoral forever. 

Next to the royal deer-forests, the principal sporting 
feature of the Balmoral domain is the salmon-fishing in the 
Dee. The Queen has a stretch of fourteen miles, including 
both banks of the river, and beginning at Invercauld Bridge. 
These waters yield splendid sport during the spring months, 
and the pools are easy to fish, eight of the casts being among 
the best in the Dee. There is very good trout-fishing in 
some of the lochs on the Royal estate, which were originally 
stocked with trout by Prince Albert. 

Considering the fondness for horses that seems to be in- 
born in every American, It Is strange that so few of the trans- 
Atlantic tourists should avail themselves of the opportunity 
of inspecting the Royal and Imperial stables of Europe. 



"SACRED HANOVERIANS." 233 

This is a mistake, for horses constitute one of the pet 
luxuries of Kings and Emperors ; and the cream-colored 
horses of Queen Victoria, the " Orloffs " of the Czar, the 
** Trakeners " of Emperor Francis-Joseph, and the " Meck- 
lenburgers " of Emperor William are each in their way 
matchless. 

Queen Victoria's cream-hued horses reside in the stables, 
or Royal mews adjoining Buckingham Palace. The first 
teams of cream-colored horses were brought from Hanover 
by King George I, and until Queen Victoria's accession to 
the Throne their successors were supplied from the celebra- 
ted breeding-stud at the city of Hanover. When, however, 
in the year 1837, Queen Victoria ascended the Throne, and 
the Crown of Hanover passed to Her Majesty's uncle, 
Duke Ernest of Cumberland, the Royal cream-colored horses 
ceased to be imported and were bred in England. The 
*' Sacred Hanoverians," as the cream-colored are called, are 
very rarely seen by the public at large, save when taken out 
very early in the morning for an airing on the Vauxhall 
Bridge Road. They do no work except on State occasions 
and remain ever untampered with. They are very showy, 
dignified animals, conscious of their own importance, and look 
down on the bays, blacks, or roans in the Royal stables with 
evident pity and contempt. 

Napoleon I was the cause of the cream-colored horses 
being abandoned on State occasions by British Royalty for 
black ones during the last great war between France and 
England. In 1803 Hanover was seized and occupied by the 
troops of Napoleon, and the French Emperor, who hated 
King George III, and who, besides all his genius and bril- 
liant qualities, had an invincible propensity for appropriating 
14 



234 THE "GILDED ARTS." 

what pleased him most among other people's goods and 
chattels, stole the Elector of Hanover's cream-colored stud, 
to spite the King of England. Adding insult to injury, the 
Emperor had actually the audacity to have eight cream- 
colored horses harnessed to the gorgeous and much-gilded 
State carriage in which he and Empress Josephine were 
drawn to Notre Dame to be crowned. This was too much 
for the infuriated English King, and in a paroxysm of rage 
he ordered the cream-hued stud at the mews in London to 
be discarded in favor of black ones. This state of affairs 
continued until the downfall of Napoleon in 1814, at which 
period the British monarch claimed from the French Govern- 
ment the cream-colored stud stolen by Napoleon in 1803, 
but every horse of that tint had mysteriously disappeared 
from France, and to this day it remains impossible to dis- 
cover what became of them. 

The State carriages which are also kept in Buckingham 
Palace ought to be scarcely less attractive to American vis- 
itors than the historical " cream-colored " above mentioned. 
The "gilded ark" in which Queen Victoria rode to her coro- 
nation has a very noteworthy history of its own, and certainly 
is a most remarkable-looking object. It was built in 1761. 
It is seventeen feet long, weighs four tons, and the figures of 
the four Tritons supporting the traces are of exquisite Italian 
workmanship. The panels are beautifully painted, and it is 
surmounted by a golden Royal Crown. 

The majority of the other carriages in the Royal coach- 
houses convey the impression of being built on altogether too 
heavy lines, and in fact of lacking modern grace ; but, of 
course, they are exceedingly stately and some of them ex- 
tremely gorgeous in their appointments. 



PRINCE OF WALES STABLES. 235 

The stables are under the control of the " Master of the 
Horse " — one of the grand officers of the household — who at 
the present time is the Duke of Portland. He changes with 
the Ministry. His deputy and the permanent superintendent 
is Colonel Sir Charles Maude, who bears the title of Crown 
Equerry. 

For her own personal use at Windsor and in other places 
in the country the Queen invariably makes use of a four- 
seated barouche, with a rumble behind for servants in attend- 
ance, and drawn by four invariably gray horses, less than 
sixteen hands high, and ridden by two postillions in very 
sober liveries. Ordinarily their jackets are black. The car- 
riage is preceded by a single outrider, and on each side 
canter two equerries on duty. These equerries, who are 
colonels or generals in the army, belong to the department 
of the Master of the Horse. 

The latter has numerous peculiar privileges, one of which 
is the use of the Royal liveries during his term of office, and 
the second is his right on all State occasions to a seat in the 
Queen's own carriage. 

The Prince of Wales stables are at Sandringham, where 
His Royal Highness goes in extensively for breeding hack- 
neys and cart horses. During the summer his hunting stud 
is sent down to Windsor for grazing in the Home Park. His 
stables cost him ^80,000 a year. This, of course, does not 
include the cost of his racing stud. 

The Queen's fox and buck-hounds are magnificently kept 
and trained animals. The historical associations of the 
Royal pack go back to times beyond the research of consci- 
entious modern historians, as there were kennels at Swinley 
before Henry VIII ascended the throne ; and it is alleged by 



236 ROYAL BUCK-HOUNDS. 

Robert Huish that for at least four centuries wild stags and 
hinds were hunted by English monarchs. Every one who is 
an habitue of the meets of the buck-hounds at Uxbridge 
Common or Ruislip Town End, or a dozen other trysts, must 
have heard of the famous run of Charles lis reign from 
Ascot after a warrantable stag, which was not caught until 
night had fallen, the eager hounds, with their bristles erect, 
running into their prey at a remote point in Essex, more than 
seventy-five miles distant from the spot where they found 
him. 

It has long been customary in autumn for the huntsmen of 
the Royal Buck-hounds, assisted by Her Majesty's chief game- 
keeper, and many other employees, to select from the herd in 
Windsor Great Park the red deer intended to be uncarted in 
the ensuing winter before four or five-and-twenty couples ot 
the best fox-hounds that Belvoir, Badminton, and other famous 
private kennels can supply. The usual place of deer capture 
is a grassy paddock below Cranbourne town — a sheltered 
spot; belted with primeval oaks and colossal beeches. The 
driving of these selected quarries — all of which have names 
bestowed upon them, with a view to their becoming as popu- 
lar as " Harkaway," or " Lord Charles," or " Savernake," or 
" Coningsby," excites the greatest interest and curiosity, 
and is generally witnessed by a small party of invited 
ladies and gentlemen, whose names are well known at the 
meets over which Her Majesty's huntsmen are wont to pre- 
side. Both the Prince of Wales and Prince George are 
passionately fond of fox-hunting, and so likewise was the late 
Duke of Clarence, who was also an excellent polo-player. 

During his last stay with his regiment at York the Duke 



HER majesty's PETS. 237 

was in the habit of devoting several hours a day to this, one 
of his favorite pastimes. 

A large number of cats are kept about the mews, one of 
which, called "Jack," is supposed to be the State q2X par ex- 
cellence. He is a magnificent Persian, of an extremely aris- 
tocratic nature, as he refuses to acknowledge a helper or 
liveryman, or, in fact, any one beneath the dignity of the State 
coachman. It was noticed, however, on the occasion of the 
visit paid by the Prince of Naples to the stables, that " Jack " 
at once recognized the presence of Royalty, and immediately 
paid his grateful respects to the Prince. 

Formerly there used to be a number of what might be 
called " performing " cats kept about the mews, and these, on 
the occasion of Her Majesty's visits, were always made to go 
through their performances, one of which consisted in their 
jumping from the back of a horse on to the stall-post, and so 
on throughout the whole ten-stall stables. 

The Jubilee landau is so named as it was used by Her 
Majesty on the occasion of her jubilee. 

It is a posting landau, driven by postillions, and is drawn 
by six of the cream-colored horses. Like the other carriages 
it is colored, lake and vermillion, picked out with gold, and is 
also decorated on either side with the Royal Arms. The 
wheels are red and gold wi'th springs. This landau has been 
all over the country when the Queen has laid foundation 
stones or opened exhibitions. In addition to these carriages, 
there are no less than seventy carriages of all kinds for pri- 
vate use, such as when the Queen pays a visit to the Prince 
of Wales at Marlborough House. These are driven by pos- 
tillions with four horses, and plain liveries are worn. The 
Queen's coachman is Mr. Miller, who was strongly recom- 



238 IN THE ROYAL KENNELS. 

mended by Lord Bridport. Mr. Miller's special duty, in the 
early days of his employment, was to look after the thirty- 
five saddle-horses then kept for the use of the Royal family 
for riding. It is the maxim of the Royal Mews that every 
horse should be treated with kindness as well as firmness. 

The young ones are brought up to look upon the stable- 
men as their friends ; the result is that while they retain 
their spirited nature, at the same time they acquire wonderful 
docility. No bearing reins of any degree of tightness are 
used in connection with the Buckins^ham Palace stables. It 
is interesting, in visiting the State horses in company with Mr. 
Miller, to see how every one of the horses seem to know 
and like him. Immediately he enters the stables they seem 
to perceive he is there, and they turn their heads, as if asking 
for some recognition. One important point in training the 
State horses consists in making them accustomed to the 
sound of the drums and bands. It is the practice at the mews 
for the children belonging to the various stable officials to be 
sent into the stables frequently with their tiny drums ; and in 
order that the horses may get accustomed to the bands, Mr. 
Miller says that whenever he meets a band while he is exer- 
cising the horse, he makes it a point of always following it 
closely. 

In the Royal kennels, the Queen's pets are Pomeranian 
dogs which would not only win the hearts of any dog-lover 
for their beauty, but who have also earned the exacting ad- 
miration of the judges. These dogs belong to the Eskimo 
type of the canine species. They have a long, thick coat that 
seems to stand out from the body, a tail which curls tightly 
and lies close to the back, a foxy head, small, erect ears, 
rather short legs, short back, and a generally square and 



POMERANIA DOGS. 239 

thick-set appearance, in spite of which, however, they are ac- 
tive as kittens. Her Majesty's pets are not Pomeranians in 
the ordinary acceptance of the term, being rather Italian 
Spitz dogs. They came from Florence, where they were 
purchased in 1888. The Queen always names the dogs her- 
self. 

Collies have always been a breed for which Her Majesty 
has also shown a preference, and this accounts for their num- 
ber in the Royal kennels. The majority of them are black- 
white-and-tan. 



THE DESCENDANTS 

OF 

THE QUEEN. 

CHAPTER XV. i 

I 

ALTHOUGH it would be considered as rank treason in 
England to question in the slightest degree the repu- 
tation for good taste, chic, and elegance in dress enjoyed by 
the Princess of Wales, yet the fact remains that it is altogether 
and entirely undeserved. The merit of telling the fashion 
for the fair sex in Great Britain belongs not, as is generally 
supposed, to her, but to her husband, the Prince. 

The latter's taste, formed as it has been by his intercourse 
with the Comtess de Pourtales, the Marquise de Galliffet, the 
Marquise de Castellane, and others of the most famous 
grande mondaines at Paris, is above reproach. It is he 
who, amid his other multifarious occupations, finds time to 
personally supervise every detail of the Princess's toilets, and 
no innovation of dress or coiffure is ever inaugurated by Her 
Royal Highness which has not previously been submitted to 
the approval and received the sanction of the Prince. 

The only occasion when she was permitted to follow her 
own ideas with regard to dress was while her husband was 
in India, and the result was simply appalling, for by birth and 
education she is thoroughly German, and her personal taste 
with regard to dress is likewise German. 

Until she married she was entirely ignorant of all the 
delicate elesfances of the " toilette intime " of a Parisienne. 
For a time she had her own way with regard to the dress of 
240 



LACK OF TASTE. 24I 

her three daughters, and in consequence, although they are 
nice and pretty girls, they appeared the most dowdy and inele- 
gant young ladies in the whole of the United Kingdom. It 
has only been since the Prince was induced to interfere in 
their behalf that they have been dressed with any degree of 
chic. The most recent instance, however, of the Princess's 
somewhat commonplace, and what would be described in 
London as Bloomsbury tastes, is her craze for photographing 
on china. 

The Court Journals gravely announced a little over a year 
ago that she had completed the entire tea service adorned 
with the portraits of her family. 

One can imagine, therefore, the feelings of the Prince 
gazing on his wife's breakfast table decked with this photo- 
graph-stained porcelain, when he saw a deep golden stream 
of tea running down the cheek of his revered mother's face 
on the teapot while helping himself to milk from a milk jug 
adorned with the features of his son, and subsequently rinsing 
his cup in a slop-basin decorated with a group of his family 
taken in front of the library window at Sandringham. 

The Princess, who, besides being a pianist of rare talent, 
plays exquisitely on that most difficult of all instruments, the 
zither, has now turned her attention to the sweet-toned philo- 
mele, a stringed instrument very much in shape like a violin, 
but much more comfortably handled. Not only the Princess 
herself and her daughters, but also her sisters-in-law are 
taking lessons, and Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lome, 
is particularly distinguishing herself on this queer-shaped 
instrument. 

A pretty story is told about the Princess. The scene of it was 
the Mansion House, the occasion was a ball that was given 



242 TAUGHT TO BEHAVE. 

some years ago, and to which, among other " invites," was a 
provincial Mayor, who had the honor of being introduced to the 
pretty Princess. The tale goes, and the truth of it is vouched 
for, that upon his Worship asking, against all rules of " eti- 
quette," the Princess to grant him a dance, she replied with 
a touch of delicate humor : " I do not know whether you will 
not be rather afraid ; some of my children are only just 
recovering from the measles, and you might take them." 
The wearer of the civic chain, however, was equal to the 
occasion, for, bowing low, he replied : *' I should be delighted 
to take anything from so charming a source." 

Those employed about the Court and thus brought per- 
sonally into contact with the different members of the Royal 
family, speak somewhat strongly about the different manners 
in which the offspring of the various princes and princesses 
are being trained up, or, to put it in the homely vernacular of 
the domestics themselves, " taught to behave." The children 
of the Princess of Wales have won golden opinions in all 
directions during their years of pupilage. Her sons, when 
quite little fellows; used to be allowed to join in the games 
of some of the Windsor lodge-keepers' children, and would 
amuse themselves for many a long morning swinging and 
being swung by their lowlier playmates, with hearty enjoy- 
ment that never degenerated into boisterous or unruly pro- 
ceedings. 

When the Princess was complimented on their pretty 
behavior, she remarked that it was her especial object to 
teach courtesy and good feeling. The Duchess of Albany 
has now the same charming repute for inciting her little ones 
to speak politely to their attendants and to treat all classes 
alike with gentle consideration. When taking her morning 



BLIGHT ON OLDEST SONS. 243 

walks with her tiny daughter, if the Duchess chance to meet 
a gardener or laborer in the grounds, she is at once heard 
saying to the little Princess : " Now don't forget to say ' Good 
morning,' darling." But the Duchess of Connaught, excel- 
lent woman though she is, has educated her offspring on an 
entirely opposite system ; and rich stories are told of the 
magniloquence and exacting demeanor of these young people. 
One of them was heard to impart to his father, with dire 
indignation ; " Papa, I passed by the sentry in the grounds 
this morning and he did not salute me." ** I dare say, my 
dear," placidly repHed the good-natured Duke of Connaught. 
" But, papa, won't you have him put into the guardroom for 
such a piece of neglect ?" This, however, the Duke declined 
to do, to the exceeding disgust of his offended son. 

Strange indeed is the blight that appears to rest upon the 
first-born sons of the Imperial and Royal families of Europe. 
The list of Princes holding the position either of Heir Appa- 
rent or Heir Presumptive to the Throne of the old world, 
who have been overtaken by premature death is one of 
considerable length, and includes the names of the Crown 
Prince of Austria, of the Duke of Brabant, and Prince Bald- 
win, of Flanders, of the Prince of Orange, the Czarowitz 
Nicolas Alexandrowitz, the Duke of Orleans, the Prince 
Imperial of France, besides those of many others, including 
the name of Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and 
Avondale, the eldest son of the Prince and Princess of Wales. 
The ultimate demise of the young Prince on the eve of his 
marriage constituted the partial fulfillment of a popular 
superstition current in England, according to which Queen 
Victoria is destined to outlive both the Prince of Wales 
and the Duke of Clarence, and to be succeeded on the 



244 ^ POPULAR SUPERSTITION. 

Throne of Great Britain by a King bearing the name of 
George V. 

Possibly it was just the knowledge of this widespread 
belief, coupled with the dread of witnessing the realization 
of the public premonition on the subject, that caused both the 
Prince and Princess of Wales, to regard their eldest boy with 
sentiments of more than ordinary parental affection. Delicate 
from the very moment of his premature birth at FrogmorCj 
he was always a source of particular care and of considerable 
anxiety to his parents. The Prince of Wales himself gave 
public expression to a feeling of this kind in 1879, '^^ ^^ 
address which he delivered on the eve of the departure of his 
two boys for their first cruise as naval cadets on board the 
" Bacchante." His Royal Highness declared on that occasion 
that he thought so much of the navy, and had received so 
much kindness from that branch of the Queen's service in 
different parts of the world, and that he had at first intended 
to make sailors of both his boys. . But he feared that the 
delicate state of his eldest son's health precluded the hope. 
Still, he trusted that his second son, George, who was sturdy, 
would carry out the traditions of the service, and make a good 
sailor. 

Fortunately, the seafaring life on board the " Bacchante " 
proved beneficial to Prince Eddie's constitution, and when, 
four years later, he took up his residence at Trinity College, 
Cambridge, after having sailed round the world, and visited 
every portion of the vast British Empire, it was believed that 
he had in a great measure outgrown his delicacy of health. 

At the University, Prince Edward displayed the same ami- 
able characteristics which had endeared him to all those with 
whom he had been brought into contact during his life on 



AMIABLE PRINCE EDWARD. 245 

board the " Bacchante." And It must be borne in mind that 
qualities of no ordinary kind are requisite to win and retain the 
regard of one's associates in a position such as that occupied 
by the Duke-Prince. Young England is essentially demo- 
cratic, and reverence for rank must be regarded as being 
one of quality that is conspicuously absent from its constitution^ 
It is therefore necessary for the Prince, both on board ship and 
at college, as well as subsequently in regimental barracks, to 
steer midway between hauteur and that familiarity which is 
apt to degenerate into contempt. This he succeeded in doing 
remarkably well, and in such a manner as to win golden opin- 
ions from all with whom he was brought into contact, display- 
ing in the matter much of that genial tact and considerate 
forethought which renders his father, the Prince of Wales, so 
deservedly popular. 

Nothing could be more touching than to watch him with his 
mother, to whom he bore much moral and physical resem- 
blance. She held, at any rate until the date of his betrothal 
to the pretty and winsome Princess May of Teck, always the 
foremost place in his thought and in his conversation. He 
surrounded her with the most loving attentions, and it was in 
her society almost alone that he appeared to lose that diffi- 
dence which was not one of the least attractive phases of his 
nature. He seemed to realize that she understood and appre- 
ciated him more fully than any one else, and that she at least 
would never be guilty of attributing to lack of intellectual 
brilliancy a silence that was ascribable in the main to an 
unusually modest and retiring disposition. 

Not that this timidity of manner ever extended to the 
length of in any way affecting his personal courage and 
pluck. That was beyond reproach, and manifested especially 



246 ANNUAL ALLOWANCE. 

on one occasion in the saddle as a steeple-chase rider over 
an exceedingly stiff course at York. He rode his own horse, 
Skraptoft. There were numerous bad falls. But the Duke 
was more fortunate than his companions, and went over 
hedges, ditches, and walls in fine style, and without a single 
spill. He presented an amusing contrast to the other riders ; 
for while they, every one of them, manifested intense anima- 
tion and excitement, he retained an absolutely impassive 
demeanor from the start to the finish. His color never varied, 
and so imperturbable was his gravity that one might have 
been led from the aspect of his features to believe instead of 
riding a spirited and difficult horse in a steeple-chase, he was 
seated at dinner with the Archbishop of York. 

It may interest the young clubmen in this country to know 
that the late Duke of Clarence received an annual allowance 
of ^50,000 from his father. In addition to this, the Duke had 
his pay as a Major of the loth Hussars, amounting to fifteen 
shillings a day, with the usual allowance for forage. Not that 
the regiment pay can be considered as having been of any 
great help, for it did not even suffice to cover his mess-bill. 
These mess expenses consisted of 50 cents a day for his 
breakfast, half a crown, or 65 cents, for luncheon, ^i for 
dinner, and ^2 for wine at the same, besides incidental " pegs " 
and bottles of bitter beer throughout the day. 

From this it will be seen that an officer in the British army 
requires a considerable private income in addition to his 
scanty pay in order to make both ends meet. Nor did Prince 
Eddie's ^50,000 a year go very far, for, as a Prince of the 
blood, he was expected to subscribe to all kinds of charities ; 
to keep a first-rate stable, as well as steeple-chasers to run In 
the military handicaps, and to pay the salaries of at least a 



DEATH OF A ROYAL LOVER. 247 

couple of gentlemen in waiting. This naturally ran away 
with most of the money, and it is greatly to the credit of the 
late Duke that he never exceeded his allowance, and died 
without leaving any debts behind him. 

His surviving brother, the Duke of York, who up to the 
date of his brother's demise had to content himself with an 
annual allowance of 1^25,000, now receives ^75,000, notwith- 
standing which he is frequently in debt, being far more 
inclined to extravagance in money matters than Prince 
Eddie. 

Until the death of her Royal lover, H. S. H. Princess 
Victoria Mary of Teck was like that nation which was declared 
to be exceptionally happy because it had no history. She was 
born some twenty-four years ago, at Kensington Palace, and 
is the eldest child and only daughter of His Royal Highness 
the Duke of Teck, and Her Royal Highness Princess Mary 
of Cambridge, the Queen's first cousin, and most popular 
member of the English Royal family. Even when quite a 
little girl, "Princess Polly with the golden hair" was much 
beloved by the British public, who had first seen her, a pretty, 
rosy-cheeked maiden of five, leaning over the balcony of 
Cambridge House, watching the glittering pageant of the 
Coronation pass slowly along Piccadilly on its way to West- 
minster Abbey. 

The Duchess of Teck and her daughter have their own 
sitting-room in the wing once occupied by the Prince of 
Wales some thirty years ago, when he was first allowed by 
his parents the dignity of a bachelor establishment. 

The business-room and boudoir combined show clearly how 
Princess May and her mother spend their time. The list of 
their good and practicable charitable works cannot be giveo 



248 PRINCESS MAY OF TECK. 

here suffice it to say that both the Duchess and her daughter 
take the keenest interest in all sorts of good works. Her 
grief for the Duke of Clarence was intense. Some one said 
of her : 

" Princess May has a plainly-furnished sitting-room of her 
own, close to the little study used by her three brothers. There 
she now sits for hours together gazing listlessly through the 
large window at the beautiful landscape beyond. Since the 
Duke's death the once so gay and joyous Princess has become 
an entirely different being. She looks as if she were yet 
stunned by the blow which she sustained, her sunny smile has 
disappeared, and her light-hearted merry laugh is never heard 
echoing as of yore through the halls and passages of the 
White Lodge. A poetical figure, draped in the sculptural folds 
of a sable crape gown, a pale, delicate face lighted by inex- 
pressibly sad and wistful eyes, a step out of which all vigor 
and buoyancy have disappeared, and a voice now low and 
subdued is what remains of the happy young Princess whom 
the Duke of Clarence used to call * his jolly little May- 
blossom.' " 

Her grief was soon assuaged by an ofTer of marriage from 
Prince George, and she now occupies the enviable position of 
wife of the heir presumptive. 

The Duke and Duchess of Teck were considered as the 
ne'er-do-wells of the Royal family, and were treated very 
much in the manner of poor relations. To such an extent 
did these sentiments prevail that the Marquis of Bath, one 
of the haughtiest of British Peers, declined to permit 
his eldest son to marry pretty Princess May, to whom 
he had become engaged, and that the Queen her- 
self never lost an opportunity of displaying the most 
marked unfriendliness and coldness toward the entire 



THE QUEEN AND DUCHESS. 249 

family until she was made to consent to her grandson's en- 
gagement to the Princess. 

This aversion of the Queen and Duchess dates back to the 
time when both were young girls together, and when the 
popularity and striking beauty of the daughter of the old 
Duke of Cambridge contrasted glaringly with the unpopu- 
larity of the Duke of Kent's daughter. For the latter, before 
her accession to the Throne, was by no means liked by either 
the classes or the masses. Indeed, the recent attacks of the 
English press on the Prince of Wales, in connection with the 
Baccarat case, appear as milk and water when compared 
with the bitter and even brutal insults hurled in those days 
by platform, pamphlet, and press at the head of the young 
Queen. 

Although the great beauty of Princess Mary of Cam- 
bridge brought her many suitors, both from home and from 
abroad, and notwithstanding the fact that her hand was 
sought by at least three reigning sovereigns, yet the Queen 
as chief of the family, made a point, for reasons which can 
only be attributed to personal jealousy, of declining to sanc- 
tion alLances proffered to her cousin. 

At length, when over forty. Princess Mary revolted against 
the tyranny to which she had so been subjected, and announced 
her intention of marrying with or without the Queen's per- 
mission a handsome young officer of the Austrian army who 
had struck her fancy. 

The officer in question, many years the Princess's junior, was 
the penniless Prince of Teck, who has since been advanced to 
the rank of German Duke. He is the morganatic Issue of a 
left-hand marriage between a Prince of a reigning House of 
Wurtemburg and a Countess Rheday. His birth and status 
15 



250 RECKLESS EXTRAVAGANCE. 

were scarcely of a character to render him a desirable match 
for an English Royal Princess, but "Fat Mary" was deter- 
mined — not to say desperate — and the marriage took place 
at Kew, near London. 

Unfortunately the Duke, although a charming and amiable 
fellow, with the good and bad points of a typical Austrian 
cavalry officer, possessed a very susceptible heart and 
afforded many opportunities to his wife's English relatives to 
rail against him. On one memorable occasion he actually 
eloped with the pretty governess of his children to the Conti- 
nent and had to be brought back from Vienna by his 
brother-in-law, the Duke of Cambridge, who was sent off 
after him in hot pursuit. Nor was this the only incident of 
the kind, and "keeping brother-in-law Frank straight" has 
taken up almost as much of the Duke of Cambridge's time as 
his duties of Commander-in-Chief of the British Army. 

Another reproach to which the Duke and Duchess of Teck 
laid themselves open was that of extravagance. Although 
provided with a town residence at Kensington Palace, in 
Hyde Park, and a suburban home at White Lodge in Rich- 
mond Park, they lived beyond their means, and about eight 
years ago there was a most disgraceful smash-up. Neither 
the Queen nor any other members of the Royal family con- 
sented to come to their assistance, and the consequence was 
that London was treated to the extraordinary and very fin 
de Steele spectacle of a Royal household being sold out at 
public auction for the benefit of the confiding tradesmen who, 
unmindful of the Psalmist, had put their " trust in Princes." 

The auction actually took place at the historical palace of 
Kensington, where the Queen was born, and innumerable 
heirlooms and relics, which for very decency's sake should 



THE HEIR PRESUMPTIVE. 25I 

have been retained in the Royal family, were disposed of to 
the public. 

The Queen, by way of punishing the Tecks for this scandal, 
which she could easily have prevented — for the indebtedness 
was not so very great — deprived her cousins of their apart- 
ments at Kensington Palace, and insisted that they should 
reside abroad for several years. It was not, indeed, until the 
death of the Duchess of Teck's mother, the nonogenarian 
Duchess of Cambridge, that the Queen relented and allowed 
them once more to reside in England, though no longer at 
Kensington Palace. 

The late Duke of Clarence's younger brother George, who 
stepped into the vacant place as Heir Presumptive to the 
British Crown, bears a striking likeness to the Princess of 
Wales's sister, the Princess Dagmar, present Empress of 
Russia, not only in the general form and cast of countenance, 
but also in detail of feature and expression. 

For the first eighteen years of his life he was the insepa- 
rable companion of his brother ; and probably there have 
rarely if ever been two brothers that were more attached to 
each other than these two. Each seemed to find in the other 
the complement of his own individual characteristics. The 
quick liveliness of Prince George acted as a constant and 
welcome stimulus both In work and play hours to the more 
lymphatic temperament of his brother, while the brother's 
quiet staidness often served as a counterpoise to the younger's 
impulsive decisiveness. Were they following the hounds 
together as boys, it was Prince George whose pony had to 
take the fence or hedge the first, and give Prince Eddy the 
lead ; were they bathing together in the sea, it was Prince 
George who was the first to leap off the ship or yacht into the 



252 PRINCE GEORGE, THE SAILOR. 

water, and not till he was swimming around and encouraging 
his brother to follow him did the elder take the inevitable 
plunge. In many ways the elder constantly leant upon the 
younger brother ; and the younger reciprocated the confidence 
with warm-hearted manliness and devotion. 

Prince George is full of vivacity, spirit, and go ; he has 
always been regarded from childhood as the enfant terrible 
of the Royal family, and innumerable are the stories related 
of his wicked practical jokes and everlasting scrapes. The 
mere mention of his name in England is sufficient to cause 
the features of John Bull to relax, and to develop into a broad 
grin. He is as noted for his facility of getting into mischief 
as his eldest brother is for keeping out of it ; and it is pos- 
sibly this which has endowed him with a popularity among 
the masses that was withheld from the Duke of Clarence 
until the last few weeks previous to his death. 

Moreover, England being essentially a maritime power, 
sailors hold a strong place in the regard and affections of 
their countrymen, who are ready to extend to seafaring men 
an indulgence withheld from every other profession. This, too, 
is no doubt accountable for much of the public favor accorded 
to Prince George. The latter has now, however, been forced 
to give up all further active service in the navy, and to settle 
down on dry land. His life has become doubly precious to 
his family, as well as to the nation. Aside from the question 
of love and affection there were grave considerations of a 
dynastic and political nature which rendered it imperative that 
he should be prevented from incurring any risk, at any rate 
until he had married and provided one or two heirs to the 
Crown. For had he happened to die unmarried his oldest 
sister, the Duchess of Fife, would have assumed his place in 



THE ROYAL CULPRIT. 253 

the line of succession to the Crown, and the British people 
would have been within a measurable distance of seeing a 
Commoner, In the person of the Duchess of Fife's little 
daughter, Miss Alexandra Duff, styled Lady Alexandra 
merely by courtesy, seated on the Throne of England. Were 
this ever to occur, the very foundations of the monarchy 
would be shaken, for the prestige attached to Royal blood 
and Royal birth, which forms the chief basis of the monarch- 
ical system in England, would become a thing of the past. 

If the Duke of York ever comes to the Throne of England, 
his subjects will, at least, have the satisfaction of knowing that 
he has a practical knowledge, to his cost, I may add, of the 
meaning of the good old-fashioned word spanking. 

When serving as midshipman he declined one night to turn 
out, as he should have done, to go on watch. His fellow 
middy, whom he was designated to relieve, and who wanted 
to turn in, endeavored to arouse the Prince. 

The latter, after receiving two or three good shakings, sud- 
denly opened his eyes, swore a big oath, and let drive his fist 
at his fellow middy's right eye. The young fellow made no 
response, but returned to his post, resumed his watch, and 
thus did duty for the Prince. 

But on the following day he stated his case and showed his 
eye to his comrades. The midshipmen held a drum-head 
court-martial, found the Prince guilty, and sentenced him to 
be spanked by the lad whose eye he had blackened. 

Accordingly, the Royal culprit was seized by four of the seni- 
ors and held face downward on a table, while the midshipman 
with the disfigured optic, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, 
carried out the sentence of the midshipmen's court until his 
hands smarted. 



254 FROM THE GUARDS TO THE THRONE 

When the Prince was released he was furious with rage, 
and threatened vengeance, but in a day or two he thought 
better of it, and went to his messmate who had spanked him 
and apologized for the blow which he had given him. 

The midshipman accepted his apology, and tendered his 
own in return for the spanking which he had administered. 

During the remainder of the cruise, the Prince put on no 
airs, but he was as agreeable and charming a young fellow as 
could be. There is no doubt that he was benefited by the 
spanking. 

The death of the Duke of Clarence drew public attention 
to the direct and collateral line of succession to the Royal 
Crown of Great Britain and the Imperial Crown of India. 

The Crown of England descends like a barony in fee, to 
the nearest heir of the last wearer, be that heir male or 
female — daughters being of course, postponed to sons. Had 
Prince George of Wales died unmarried, the Crown would 
have passed to the Duchess of Fife, and afterward to her, at 
present infant daughter, the Lady Alexandra Duff, always 
supposing that a son was not born to her in the meantime. 
In that place the son would naturally take precedence. We 
might then (but the possibility is exceedingly remote) witness 
the curious sight of a Marquis of Macduff stepping direct from 
the Guards, or the benches of the House of Commons, to the 
Throne. 

In that case, the junior partner In the great London Bank- 
ing house of Scott & Co. would find himself in a position even 
more anomalous than that of the late Prince Albert — a posi- 
tion, in fact, to find a parallel for which it is necessary to go 
back to the days of Mary Queen of Scots and the Earl of 
Darnley. 



THE DUCHESS OF FIFE. 255 

The Duke of Fife who, besides his income derived from his 
partnership in the banks, and from his directorships in various 
railroads and industrial enterprises, enjoys the revenues of a 
vast estate of some three hundred thousand acres, is one of 
those fortunate men who, in high favor at Court, and blessed 
munificently with rank, wealth, and talents of every kind, has 
succeeded in achieving an immense popularity with all classes 
of the people. He has never been known to do a mean, 
unchivalrous or in any way questionable action, and while by 
no means a saint by nature, and exposed to every kind of 
temptation, his private life has hitherto been without 
reproach. 

Of Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife, and possibly Queen 
of Great Britain and Ireland, there is but little to say. She 
has been most carefully trained, and brought up in the very 
simplest manner by her mother, the Princess of Wales. 
While neither so graceful nor so captivating as her mother, 
the young Princess is much liked by all those who know her, 
her behavior being singularly simple, natural, and unaffected. 
Many of the hats and dresses worn during the past years by 
her two sisters and herself have been made entirely with 
their own hands. 

Little Lady Alexandra Victoria Duff, the infant daughter 
of the Duke and Duchess of Fife, who was held at the font 
on the occasion of her christening by no less a personage 
than her great-grandmother, the Queen of Great Britain, 
Empress of India, etc., possesses three aunts, sisters of her 
father, whose aquaintance she will never be permitted to 
make. Their social position is such that, although sisters of 
the Duke, and the only surviving members of his immediate 
family, it was found impossible to invite them to be present 



256 BEHIND THE SCENES. 

at their brother's wedding-. Unfortunately, they all three 
take after their mother, the late Countess of Fife, who, to put 
the matter as mildly as possible, was the reverse of respect- 
able, and who rendered herself so conspicuous that her son 
was not allowed to see her during his youth. 

The youngest of these three sisters of the Duke of Fife 
is Lady Agnes Cooper. She was married early in the seven- 
ties to the late Lord Dupplin. "Duppy" was, however, 
neither physically nor morally what might be termed a model 
husband, and one fine morning in the very height of the season 
— I think it was on the Cup-day of the Ascot races — the word 
passed that the Viscountess had fled with Herbert Flower, 
who enjoyed the well-deserved reputation of being the hand- 
somest and finest-looking man in England. Lord Dupplin 
took matters philosophically, and secured a divorce from Lady 
Agnes, who forthwith married the companion of her flight. 
In 1 88 1, Herbert Flower died, and after a few months of 
widowhood Lady Agnes married a third husband, the famous 
surgeon. Dr. Alfred Cooper, by whom she had several chil- 
dren. Of course she was ostracized by society and cut by 
her brother. 

The second sister is Lady Ida Wilson, who, after marrying 
Mr. Adrian Hope, scandalized all Vanity Fair by repeatedly 
appearing on the promenade of Rotten Row in a state of 
noisy intoxication, and then capped matters by eloping with 
her courier. For some time she resided In Switzerland with 
her valet de coeur^ but has now returned to London to brazen 
matters out as the wife of one William Wilson, whom nobody 
knows, but who Is generally believed to be the courier referred 
to above. 

The Duke's eldest sister, the Marchioness of Townsend, 



A PROSPEROUS MAN. 257 

has the advantage of possessing a half-crazy husband, who 
while closing his eyes ta her numerous indiscretions, is by no 
means blind to the violations of the vagrancy and mendicancy 
laws. Until the moment when his own eccentricities and the 
conduct of his wife necessitated his. leaving London he was 
in the habit of causing the arrest and of prosecuting in person^ 
every beggar that he could catch sight of. \ 

To such an extent did he carry this mania that it was im- 
possible to open a daily newspaper without seeing an account 
of his appearance in Court against some unfortunate mendi- 
cant or other. I may add that, his son being childless, the 
Marquisate will in due time devolve upon a man who is now 
a five-hundred-dollar clerk in a city merchant's office, and who 
is, moreover, the husband of an actress of the cross-river 
variety and music-hall stage. 

Everything that the Duke of Fife touches seems to turn to 
gold. Some founders' shares, which had cost him $150 apiece 
a few years ago, have just been disposed of by him at the 
rate of ;^45,ooo or ^225,000 each. Notwithstanding the pre- 
vailing depression in the value of land in the United King- 
dom, he has been obtaining exceptionally high prices for the 
farms, houses, and estates which he has been selling up in 
Scotland. His reason for thus getting rid of the larger part 
of his landed property, is because the latter only yields him an 
interest of 2^ per cent., whereas he can obtain double that 
amount, and even more, by investing its value in thej 
well-known and prosperous London bank of Samuel Scott 
& Co., of which he is now the principal and managing 
partner. 

It may be of interest to give here a list of the line 
of succession as it now stands, comprising the names 



25S MEIRS to THE THRONa 

of every possible Heir to the Throne claiming through 
George III. 

There are other heirs descendinor from earlier monarchs of 
the House of Brunswick; but they are so exceedingly remote 
that it is not worth while to trace them. 

There are, of course, also in the following list certain per- 
sonages who would obviously, from motives of public policy, 
never be allowed to succeed, e. g., the German Emperor ; but 
foreign nationality, or the possession of a foreign Crown, does 
not of itself vitiate their right. Parliament could, and in the 
case of the Throne passing to a foreign sovereign, would bar 
their claim, save perhaps in the case of the Duke of Edin- 
burgh. That Prince will, in the course of nature, become 
Duke of Saxe-Coburg; and in the lamentable and highly 
improbable case of a failure of all the Queen's more immedi- 
ate heirs, he would have to choose between Coburg and Eng- 
land. The Prince of Wales, it will be remembered, became upon 
his father's death heir presumptive to the Duchy of Coburg; 
but to avoid the inconvenience of a potential British monarch 
being also the heir of a Continental reigning sovereign, 
he renounced his rights in Coburg in favor of his next 
brother. It is sometimes said that such-and-such a female 
member of the Royal family, has renounced her right of 
succession. Neither the Act of Settlement, however, under 
which the Crown devolves, nor any other Act, make provision 
for renunciation upon any ground whatsoever. By her mar- 
riage with Prince George the Princess May, whose melancholy 
position excited sympathy so wide and so keen, has been at 
once elevated from the last to the second place in the list; 
and together with her three sons seems to have settled the 
immediate question of succession. 



BRITISH ROYAL FAMILY. 259 

THE DESCENDANTS OF QUEEN VICTORIA RANGE AS FOLLOWS: 

1. The Prince of Wales, son. 
Children of the Prince of Wales : 

2. Prince George, grandson. 

3. Duchess of Fife, granddaughter. 
Grandchild of the Prince of Wales : 

4. The Lady Alexandra Duff, great-granddaughter. 
Children of the Prince of Wales : . 

5. Princess Victoria of Wales, granddaughter. 

6. Princess Maud of Wales, granddaughter. 

7. The Duke of Edinburgh, son. Second son of Queen 

Victoria. 
Children of Duke of Edinburgh : 

8. Prince Alfred of Edinburgh, grandson. 

9. Princess Marie of Edinburgh, granddaughter. 

10. Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh, granddaughter. 

11. Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh, granddaughter. 

12. Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh, granddaughter. 

13. The Duke of Connaught, son. Third son of Queen 

Victoria. 
Children of Duke of Connaught : 

14. Prince Arthur of Connaught, grandson. 

15. Princess Margaret of Connaught, granddaughter. 

1 6. Princess Victoria Patricia of Connaught, granddaugh- 

ter. 
Children of Queen Victoria's \th son, Duke of Albany ^ who 
died 1884 : 

1 7. The Duke of Albany, grandson. 

18. Princess Alice of Albany, granddaughter. 

19. The Empress Frederick of Germany, daughter. Priu' 

cess Royal of England, 



26o LINE OF SUCCESSION. 

20. The German Emperor, grandson. Grandson of Queen 

Victoria. 
Children of German Emperor: 

21. The Crown Prince of Prussia, great-grandson. 

22. Prince William Frederick of Prussia, great-grandson. 
Children of German Emperor: 

23. Prince Adalbert of Prussia, great-grandson. 

24. Prince August of Prussia, great-grandson. 

25. Prince Oscar of Prussia, great-grandson. 

26. Prince Joachim Franz Humbert of Prussia, great- 
grandson. 

27. Prince Henry of Prussia, grandson. Brother of Ger- 
man Emperor. 

28. Prince Waldemar of Prussia, great-grandson. Son of 
Prince Henry. 

29. The Hereditary Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Melnlngen 
granddaughter of Queen Victoria, sister of German Emperor. 

30. Princess Fedora of Saxe-Meiningen, grandaughter of 
Queen Victoria, daughter of Princess Charlotte of Saxe- 
Meiningen. 

3 1 . Princess Victoria of Prussia, granddaughter of Queeft 
Victoria, and sister of German Emperor. 

32. The Crown Princess of Greece, granddaughter of 
Queen Victoria, and sister of German Emperor. 

33. Prince George of Greece, great-grandson of Queen 
Victoria and son of Crown Princess of Greece. 

34. Princess Margaretta of Prussia, granddaughter of 
Queen Victoria, and sister of German Emperor. 

35. The Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse, grandson of 
Queen Victoria, and son of her second daughter, Princess 
Alice. 



LIST OF DESCENDANTS. 26 1 

36. Princess Louis of Battenberg, granddaughter of Queen 
Victoria, and daughter of the late Princess AHce. 

37. Princess Victoria Alice of Battenberg, great-grand- 
daughter of Queen Victoria, and daughter of Princess Louis 
of Battenberg. 

38. Princess Louise Alexandra of Battenberg, great-grand- 
daughter of Queen Victoria, and daughter of Princess Louis 
of Battenberg. 

39. The Grand Duchess Serglus of Russia, granddaughter 
of Queen Victoria, and daughter of the late Princess Alice 
of England. 

40. Prince Henry of Prussia, wife of No. 27, granddaugh- 
ter of Queen Victoria, and daughter of Princess Alice. 

41. Princess Victoria Alice Helena of Hesse, granddaugh- 
ter of Queen Victoria, and daughter of Princess Alice. 

42. Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, third daugh- 
ter of Queen Victoria. 

43. Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein, grand- 
son of Queen Victoria, and son of Princess Christian. 

44. Prince Albert of Schleswig-Holstein, grandson of 
Queen Victoria, and son of Princess Christian. 

45. Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, granddaugh- 
ter of Queen Victoria, and daughter of Princess Chris- 
tian. 

46. Princess Franzlska of Schleswig-Holstein, grand- 
daughter of Queen Victoria, and daughter of Princess Chris- 
tian. 

47. The Marchioness of Lome, fourth daughter of Queen 
Victoria. 

48. Princess Beatrice, Princess Henry of Battenberg, fifth 
daughter of Queen Victoria. 



262 POSSIBLE HEIRS. 

49. Prince Alexander Albert of Battenberg, grandson of 
Queen Victoria, and son of Princess Beatrice. 

50. Prince Leopold of Battenberg, grandson of Queen 
Victoria, and son of Princess Beatrice. 

51. Prince Donald of Battenberg, grandson of Queen 
Victoria, and son of Princess Beatrice. 

52. Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, granddaugh- 
ter of Queen Victoria, and daughter of Princess Beatrice. 

DESCENDANTS OF KING GEORGE III. 

53. The Duke of Cumberland, great-grandson. 

54. Prince George of Cumberland, great-great-grandson. 

55. Prince Christian of Cumberland, great-great-grand- 
son. 

56. Prince Ernest of Cumberland, great-great-grandson. 

57. Princess Mary of Cumberland, great-granddaughter. 

58. Princess Alexandra of Cumberland, great-great-grand- 
daughter. 

59. Princess Olga of Cumberland, great-great-grand- 
daughter. 

60. Princess Fredrica of Hanover, Baroness von Pawel 
Rammingen, great-grandaughter. 

61. Princess Mary Ernestina of Hanover, great-grand- 
dauofhter. 

62. The Duke of Cambridge, grandson. 

63. The Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, grand- 
daughter. 

64. The Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg, great- 
grandson. 

65. Prince Frederick George of Mecklenburg, great* 
grandson. 



FIFTY-FIVE PRINCELY PERSONAGES. 263 

66. Princess Victoria Mary of Mecklenburg, great-grand- 
daughter. 

67. Princess Augusta of Mecklenburg, great-granddaugh- 
ter. 

68. The Duchess of Teck, granddaughter. 

69. Prince Adolphus of Teck, great-grandson. 

70. Prince Francis of Teck, great-grandson. 

71. Prince Alexander of Teck, great-grandson. 

72. Princess May, great-granddaughter. 

There are, therefore, 55 princely personages in the direct 
line of succession as descendants of the Queen, twenty more 
being descendants of George III, who come in as collateral 
heirs. It does not, of course, follow that if the Crown of 
England were inherited by the German Emperor (and stranger 
things than that have happened in the chequered history of 
Royal successions), or, still more unlikely, by the Duke of 
Cumberland, either the one or the other would be allowed 
to wear it. The first eventually, is improbable, and the 
second, humanly speaking, is impossible. But it is a curious 
fact that there was at this moment practically only one life — 
that of Prince George — between a Commoner and the 
Throne. A repetition of the terrible calamity of January 14th 
would have made Lady Alexandra Duff heiress presumptive, 
once removed, to the Throne ; although she might have been 
set aside at any moment by the birth of a son to the Duchess 
of Fife. As I said above, the possibility of a Commoner 
mounting the Throne was apparently regarded with alarm by 
a number of persons in whom the historical sense is not strong. 
But when we remember that the crystallization of Royalty 
into an exclusive caste is, in England, a good deal less than 
two hundred years old, there is nothing either very new or very 



264 "ALBERT THE GOOD." 

Strange In the possibility. Lady Jane Grey was a Commoner ; 
so was Lady Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII., and 
the last Lady Knight of the Garter. Queen Anne and Queen 
Mary II. were daughters of a Commoner mother and the 
granddaughters of a self-made man. There was nothing alarm- 
ing in the possibility — which a kind Providence has now 
averted — of the Duke of Fife becoming a Royal consort. He 
is himself a great-grandson of William -IV, and his children 
will consequently possess a Royal descent from both the 
present and the last occupant of the Throne. 

The Duke of Saxe-Coburg Gotha, brother-in-law to Her 
Majesty the Queen, may be said to be one of her pet aver- 
sions. 

It is difficult to imagine any more striking contrast than 
that which existed between him and his younger brother, the 
late Prince Consort of Great Britain. 

The latter's conduct was beyond reproach, and so blameless 
that it won for him the name of " Albert the Good." 

The elder brother is noted throughout Germany for his 
drinking propensities, and for his fondness for the society of 
ladies of questionable reputation. 

Indeed, there are few wives of any of the sovereigns now 
reigning who have been subjected to more constant abuse, 
neglect, and infidelity than Duchess Alexandriana, who is a 
sister of the reigning Duke of Baden. 

It was about a couple of years ago that the Duke openly 
quarreled with his nephew and heir, the Duke of Edinburgh, 
owing to the Duchess of Edinburgh's refusal to invite to one 
of her entertainments a couple of ladies who were on terms 
of too marked intimacy with Duke Ernest. 
^ The latter stormed and raged, urging that his two fair 



DUCHESS OF EDINBURGH. 265 

friends should be invited. The Duchess of Edinburgh, how- 
ever, who has all the obstinacy of her brother the Czar, refused 
to accede to his demands, and for more than a year the Edin- 
burghs were not on speaking terms with their uncle of 
Saxe-Coburg. 

I Recently, however, there has been a reconciliation between 
them, but Queen Victoria absolutely declines to have anything 
to do with her brother-in-law, who has offended her, not only 
in this matter, but also by his mode of life, and by his unau- 
thorized publication of a number of confidential letters which 
the Prince Consort addressed to him on English political 
affairs. His publication of these letters was a source of im- 
mense embarrassment and annoyance to the Queen. 

The Duchess of Edinburgh has played a very important 
role In International politics. The wife of the least popular 
of all Queen Victoria's children, occupying an altogether sub- 
ordinate position among the members of the British Royal 
family, since she Is forced to yield the " pas " even to Princess 
Beatrice of Battenberg, and possessed of no personal beauty 
or charm, she has nevertheless succeeded in acquiring an 
Influence over European politics, which has produced a com- 
plete and most beneficial change of their hitherto clouded 
aspect. 

In the first place, she has utilized her relationship to the 
Czar, whose only sister she Is, to bring about a relaxation of 
the tension between Germany and Russia, and It was her 
influence alone that led the Muscovite ruler to atone for his 
past discourtesy to the Emperor William by visiting the latter 
at Kiel. 

It is the Duchess to whom belongs the credit of having 
negotiated the marriage between the Crown-Prince of Rou- 
i6 



266 PERILOUS ROUMANIA THRONE. 

mania and her eldest daughter, Marie — a matrimonial alliance 
that will contribute more than anything else to the peaceful 
settlement of the ever-smoldering Eastern question. 

For a long time the Czar declined to give his consent to 
the marriage of his favorite niece to the Roumanian heir 
apparent, who is a member of the Prussian House of Hohen- 
zollern, but at last he yielded to his sister's arguments and 
signified his approval of the match. 

The latter gives universal satisfaction, and is regarded as a 
powerful guarantee of peace in connection with the Balkan 
difficulty. It invests the Court of Bucharest with ties of close 
and intimate relationship with that of Russia and of Great 
Britain, which cannot fail to impart strength and solidity to 
the hitherto perilous Roumanian throne. 

It also pleases the Roumanian people, who being of the 
orthodox Greek faith, are glad to find in their future Queen 
a Princess of the same Church. For, while the sons of the 
Duke of Edinburgh are brought up as Protestants, his daugh- 
ters, according to the terms of the marriage contract, are edu- 
cated as members of the Greek Church. 

The principal danger to which the Roumanian throne has 
hitherto been exposed is that of Russian invasion, and the 
entire resources of the kingdom have been devoted toward 
putting the country in a fit state of defense. Henceforth 
this menace will not exist, since the Czar, more than any one 
else, will be interested in the welfare of his favorite niece, the 
future Queen of Roumania. 

Princess Marie of Edinburgh Is by far the prettiest of the 
Queen's granddaughters, though Princess Maud of Wales 
runs her very close in point of looks. She has been very 
carefully and strictly brought up under the supervision of the 



AN EXCELLENT MOTHER. 267 

Duchess, who is certainly an excellent mother. She is accom- 
plished in many ways, is an excellent linguist, and a good 
musician. Her study of Russian will help her with the Rou- 
manian tongue, which is near akin to Russian. In personal 
appearance she takes after her father, whereas her two sisters 
rather favor the Duchess. 

The Duchess of Edinburgh is a woman of remarkable 
strength of mind and common sense. The expression of her 
features is not pleasant, as it gives one an impression both of 
sulkiness, bad temper, and arrogance. But she is really a 
very kind woman at heart, and when among her intimate 
friends, simplicity itself. 

That she is very fond of England and of the English, it 
would be idle to assert. As the only daughter of the late 
Czar, and his favorite child, she had been spoiled in the most 
extraordinary manner, and, owing to the delicate health of 
her mother, she occupied, until her marriage, the Empress's 
place at all the Court ceremonies and functions in Russia. 

When, therefore, she came to England and found herself 
•relegated to almost the tail-end of the Royal family there, and 
regarded with public ill-will by reason of her husband's exces- 
sive unpopularity, she naturally felt both disappointed and 
dissatisfied. 

The only persons of the English Royal family with whom 
she is able to get along well are the Princess of Wales, who 
is full of kindly attentions and affectionate deference toward 
her, and her mother-in-law, the Queen. 

The Duchess, indeed, is the sole member of the British 
Royal family over whom Her Majesty does not attempt to 
domineer. With her other children the old lady is exceed- 
ingly imperious, and, in her double capacity of mother and 



268 ROYAL MOTHER-IN-LAW. 

sovereign, orders them about in the most despotic manner, 
exacting implicit and unswerving obedience. 

The Duchess, however, assumes a very independent atti- 
tude toward her, does not permit herself to be bullied, and 
answers her Royal mother-in-law in the latter's own 
fashion, giving her, so to speak, a taste of her own medicine. 

The result is that " Marie," as she is called by her rela- 
tives, enjoys an altogether extraordinary consideration at 
Windsor, and her portrait is the only one which adorns the 
walls of the Queen's private breakfast room, which looks out 
on the great quadrangle. 

The Duchess, who does not like the free-and-easy way of 
the British people toward their Royalty, spends as little 
time in England as possible. She makes her home In the 
beautiful castle of Rosenau, near Coburg, a country of which 
she will become the reigning Duchess on the death of the 
present Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. 

The Duchess keeps all her effects at Rosenau, where she 
is surrounded by a little court and treated with an immense 
amount of honor and consideration. Her husband, however, 
makes his headquarters in the Royal palace, known as Clar- 
ence House, which has been assigned to him by the Queen 
as his London residence. It is there that he keeps his valu- 
able collection of barbaric weapons, hunting trophies, glass, 
and rare porcelain. 

True, the Duke has never given rise by his conduct to any 
matrimonial scandal. But he is blest with an abominable 
temper, the most glaring want of tact, and has lost much of 
that comeliness which caused the Grand Duchess Marie to 
fall in love with him, and to persist In marrying him notwith- 
standing the objections made by his relatives. 



AN ACTRESS WIFE. 269 

The Duke of Cambridge, Commander-in-Chief of the Bri- 
tish army, is probably the most popular man of the Royal 
family. A great deal of good-natured fun is poked at him by 
the press, but, notwithstanding this, there is no doubt that he 
is more in touch with the English public than any of the 
others. He is a fine, tall old man, with white mustache and 
whiskers, white hair and very florid face. His manner is 
frank, bluff, and hearty, his grasp of the hand honest, and his 
whole being inspires good-will and sympathy. He is noted 
for the picturesque character of his language, which is almost 
as highly colored as his complexion. His oaths are strange 
and awe-inspiring, and his temper being exceedingly short, 
they are somewhat frequent. His remarks during an inspec- 
tion of troops when everything is not in first-rate condition 
are of a nature to be remembered. With all that he is 
very kind of heart, and his anger, though violent, is quickly 
over. 

Born about two months before his cousin. Queen Victoria, 
he spent most of his youth in Germany, first of all at Hano- 
ver, where his father acted as British viceroy until it was 
converted into an independent kingdom in 1837, ^"^ after- 
ward at Berlin. The result is that his English, like that of 
the Queen and her children, is distinguished by a strong and 
gutteral Teutonic accent. That is, however, about the only 
German thing about him, for in everything else he is English 
to the very core. 

He will leave no heirs to his name, for I regret to say that 
his children are not legitimate. In his early days he was the 
hero of many love affairs, being gay, dashing, brilliant, and, 
above all, a Royal Prince. He was fortunate enough to 
succeed in keeping his name out of the divorce court, and 



270 AN ACTRESS WIFfi. 

never permitted himself to become incriminated In any public 
scandal. 

His affaires de coeur culminated In a marriage with a Dub- 
lin actress, which ceremony, being unsanctioned by the Queen, 
was, in the eyes of the law, null and void, for the English 
statute-book, prescribes that no marriage of a member of the 
British Royal family shall be regarded as valid unless spe- 
cially authorized by the sovereign. 

After his marriage, the Duke George settled down and 
remained true to his actress-wife until her death a couple of 
years ago. She did not live with him at his residence at 
Gloucester House, Picadilly, but in a smaller mansion, in an 
adjacent street, where he has wont to visit her every day, and 
to take at least one meal. At his country residence, at 
Coombe, near Wimbledon, where he possesses a large estate, 
they lived together as husband and wife, she being known by 
the name of Mrs. Fitz George, which is the patronymic borne 
by her five children. Two of these are girls, both of them 
now married ; while the other three are sons, one In the navy- 
and the others in the army. They are very popular, both In 
military and social circles, and one or the other Is always In 
attendance on the old Duke. 

Mrs. Fitz George was altogether unknown to society, and 
was a very simple-minded, worthy lady, perfectly contented 
to remain entirely In the background. The only person 
besides herself who shared the Duke's attentions was his 
mother, the venerable Duchess of Cambridge, who died within 
a few months after the death of her plebeian daughter-in-law. 
The Duke was the most dutiful of sons to her, and never 
allowed a single day to pass when In town without going 
around to St. James's Palace, where she resided, to spend an 



Faculties unimpaired. 571 

hour in retailing to her the gossip of the town, in which she, 
to the very last, displayed a most extraordinary interest. She 
was a wonderful old lady, a German Princess by birth, and at 
the age of fourteen witnessed from the terrace of her father's 
chateau the retreat of Napoleon I after his defeat at the battle 
of Leipzig. 

The Duke distinguished himself by his personal gallantry, 
though not by his generalship, in the Crimean war, where his 
conduct presented a marked contrast with that of Prince 
Napoleon, and where he won for himself a considerable 
amount of popularity among the British soldiers. It is this 
popularity which causes them to close their eyes to his idio- 
syncrasies and mannerisms, such as, for instance, when he 
undertakes to review them seated on horseback in full war 
paint, and holding an umbrella over his head to shield him 
from the rain. In fact, this led to his being named the " Um- 
brella Duke." 

Whenever his cousin, the Queen, has hinted to him that he 
has reached the age appointed by the statutes for the retire- 
ment of her officers from active service, he has invariably 
responded by suggesting that he was still quite as capable 
of performing the duties in connection with the Commander- 
in-Chief of the army as she was to fulfill her duties as Queen 
of England ! In claiming that his faculties are unimpaired by 
age, he is not far wrong, for, never having been very brilliant 
or remarkable for the penetration of his mind, his senility 
has not yet become very conspicuous, and the evidences of 
his age are limited to his falling asleep after dinner, and 
sometimes even during the meal, when his head is apt to slip 
on the shoulder of the lady to his right or left, and the con- 
versation to be temporarily hushed by a snore of Royal and 
Georgian proportions. ' ^ - 



PICTURESQUE COURT 

OF 

QUEEN VICTORIA. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

AMONG other picturesque and ornamental features of 
Queen Victoria's Court are her two body-guards, the 
one composed of pensioned Colonels and Majors, with 
distinguished service records, who are entitled the '* Gentle- 
men-at-Arms," whilst the other is recruited from non-com- 
missioned officers, and its members are known by the name 
of the "Yeomen of the Guard," the public, however, for some 
reason or other, designating them as " Beefeaters." 

A yeoman usher and a party of yeomen now compose the 
Guard that attends in the Great Chamber on Levee days and 
Drawing-Room days, their office being to keep the passage 
clear, that the nobility who frequent the Court may pass with- 
out inconvenience. The usher is posted at the head of the 
room, close by the door leading into the Presence Chamber, 
to whom, when persons of a certain distinction enter from the 
stairs, the lowermost yeoman next to the entrance of the 
Chamber calls aloud, "Yeoman Usher!" to apprise him of 
such approach. To this the Usher makes answer by audibly 
crying, " Stand by !" to warn all indifferent persons to leave 
the passage clear. 

The Captain of the "Yeomen of the Guard," who is Inva- 
riably a Peer of the Realm, and who changes with each ad- 
ministration, receives a salary of ^5,000. He is ex-officio a 
member of the Privy Council, wears, like other officers of the 
272 



GENTLEMEN-AT-ARMS. 273 

corps, a military uniform, and carries an ebony baton tipped 
with gold as his badge of office. 

The Lieutenant of the " Yeomen of the Guard " receives 
^2,500 per annum, and his baton is only mounted in silver 
instead of being mounted in gold. Then again there is an 
Ensign, enjoying a salary of $750 per annum, although there 
does not exist the smallest evidence that the Corps ever pos- 
sessed either banner or standard. Like the Lieutenant, the 
Ensign bears an ebony baton mounted in silver. Then there 
are four Exempts, Exons, or Corporals, and these gentlemen 
command in the absence of the Lieutenant or Ensign, one of 
them sleeping at St. James' Palace, as Commandant of the 
Yeomen on duty, a thing which no otber officer of the Corps 
does, and having in this way a delegated authority, which he 
exercises in the absence of his superior officer. 

The Gentlemen-at-Arms, when instituted by Henry VIII, 
were intended to be recruited from a higher class of his sub- 
jects than the " Yeomen of the Guard," Avowedly, like many 
similar corps in other Courts, an imitation of the "Gentlemen 
of the French King's House," a body composed almost en- 
tirely of young grandees, the members of the new guard 
were to be "chosen of gentlemen, not that to becommen and 
extracte of Noble Blood." 

All the Captains have been noblemen of high rank, and the 
present corps is composed entirely of ex-commissioned officers 
of distinction. For a long time the Gentlemen-at-Arms and 
the Yeomen of the Guard were the only standing forces tol- 
erated in the Kingdom. In those days they figured in all 
ceremonials — marriages, coronations, and funerals. They 
received Ambassadors, and escorted foreign Princes on visits 
to the Sovereign, et militare runt non sine gloria, for they 



274 CHAMPION OF ENGLAND. 

were at the seige of Boulogne, the Battle of Spurs, and on 
other battle-fields of France. 

When the Queen came to the Throne only three of the 
Guard were old soldiers, though all of them bore the courtesy 
title of "Captain," and in precedence ranked immediately 
after Privy Councillors. The Corps now contains over 40 
members, every one of whom has served with more or less 
distinction, and perhaps at no period in its history has the 
ancient Guard reached a higher social standard. 

One of the most peculiar offices in connection with the 
Royal household is that of the " Queen's Champion," which 
is held by the Hon. F. S. Dymoke, by right of inheritance. 

The "Champion of England," for that is his official title, 
only appears once during the reign of a British Monarch — 
namely, at the coronation. While the coronation banquet is 
in progress, which has hitherto always taken place in West- 
minster Hall, the Champion enters on horseback, arrayed from 
head to foot in steel armor, and with closed visor. 

Raising the visor, he challenges all comers to deny the title 
of the sovereign, and offers, if necessary, to fight them on 
the spot. It is needless to add that no one is ever found to 
take up the gauntlet which he casts down on the floor. A 
golden goblet full of wine is then handed to him, which he 
drains to the health of the monarch, after which he backs his 
charger from the Royal presence, carrying with him the mag- 
nificently chased golden goblet as his perquisite. 

The office is a very ancient one, and is popularly supposed 
to have been instituted by William the Conqueror, who con- 
ferred it upon Robert de Marmion, with the Castle of Tam- 
worth and the Manor of Scrlvelsby. At the coronation of 
Richard II the office was claimed by Sir John Dymoke, of 



SOME COURT SALARIES. 275 

Scrivelsby Manor, and Baldwin de Trevlll, of Tamworth 
Castle. It was finally decided that the title of Champion of 
England went with the Manor of Scrivelsby, ?.nd belonged 
to Sir John Dymoke, in whose family it has remained until the 
present day. Should Mr. Dymoke die, it will be his nearest 
male relative who will inherit the manor and office. 

Her Majesty's footmen are exceedingly imposing and 
superb. They used, however, to be somewhat more exalted 
personages than they are now. Early in the Queen's reign 
the salary of the Royal footman was $550 a year, with a 
possible rise to the rank of a Senior footman with ^600 a 
year. This was not, it may be thought, very splendid, but the 
dignity of the service, and the fact that it was always followed 
by a pension, and sometimes led to higher rank, rendered it 
attractive to stalwart members of the respectable middle class 
on the lookout for a career. Moreover, there were perqui- 
sites — bread and beer money, for instance — amounting to ^70 
a year. Besides this, a footman sent on a journey, however 
short, would have six shillings a day for refreshment. All 
that, however, was in the good days before the besom Reform 
swept out the Queen's establishment, when Prince Albert 
was in the prime of his vigor. Nowadays even so gorgeous 
a gentleman as the Queen's footman has to begin with a 
modest $250 a year, which in course of time may expand to 
$400, but no further. Perquisites, too, have been abolished 
or curtailed. There is an allowance of six guineas and a half 
for hair-powder, bag, and stockings; but, sad to say, each man 
has to find his own blacking and boot-brushes, and to pay for 
his own washing. A suit of State livery is said to cost $650. 
They are rarely used, and of course rarely renewed. When 
they are renewed, however, the old garments become the 



276 FOOTMEN AND TRUMPETERS. 

perquisites of the wearers, and the gold lace upon them is, of 
course, of considerable value. The Queen has fifteen footmen, 
and one sergeant-footman with a salary of $650 a year. For- 
merly the sergeant-footmen or one of the six senior footmen 
was often promoted to the position of Page of the Presence or 
of a Queen's Messenger, either of which was worth ^1,500, 
or ^2,000 a year. But this practice has gone the way of 
most of the perquisites, and the position of a Royal footman 
is no longer sought for as it used to be, though, of course, 
there are plenty who would be glad to get it. But there are 
corresponding positions in less exalted households in which a 
well-built young man, with the necessary development of 
calf, who aspires to become a footman, may do better for his 
fortunes than in the service of the Crown. 

Next to Her Majesty's footmen, the State trumpeters are 
among the most popular of functionaries on all great occa- 
sions. There are eight of them, with a sergeant at their 
head. They form part of the State band, which, distinct from 
Her Majesty's private band, is only called upon on important 
occasions. As in the case of the footmen, their gorgeous 
raiment, their silver trumpets, and their stately demeanor 
might suggest to the uninitiated dignitaries of large emolu- 
ments, if not of exalted rank. Their sergeant gets $500 a 
year, and each of the eight minor musicians ^200, though 
there are, in addition, fees paid to each of them on each occa- 
sion of their performing in public. 

From footmen and trumpeters to pursuivants, heralds, and 
kings-at-arms is a great stride up the social and ceremonial 
ladder. These functionaries have both a popular and his- 
torical interest. Their quaintly gorgeous costumes always 
attract attention on State occasions, and their undoubted an- 



THE ROYAL HERALDS. 277 

tiquity and mysterious functions — their declarations of war 
and of peace, their announcements at coronations, and their 
solemn annunciations of titles and dignities over illustrious 
graves — all tend to invest them with a curious interest in the 
eyes of all beholders. 

The heralds must be gentlemen " skilled in the ancient and 
modern languages, good historians, and conversant in the 
genealogies of the nobility and gentry." The direct emolu- 
ments of the office are trivial. But it is their function " to 
grant coats armorial and supporters to the same to such as 
are properly authorized to bear them ; where no armorial 
arms are known to belong to the party applying for the grant 
they invent devices and emblazon them in the most applicable 
manner, so as to reflect credit upon their own fertility of 
knowledge, and to afford satisfaction to the wearer." They 
are, of course, entitled to more liberal fees than fall to the lot 
of most inventors, and, moreover, they are the great sources 
of the genealogical lore. Pursuivants, heralds, and kings-at- 
arms are under the Earl-Marshal of England, the Duke of 
Norfolk, and, indeed, are now created by him. Formerly 
when kings-at-arms were more important functionaries than 
they are now, they were crowned veritable kings by the 
sovereign himself. They go through the same ceremony of 
installation now, but it is performed by the Earl-Marshal, by 
Royal warrant. Upon this occasion the chosen functionary 
takes his oath, wine is poured out of a gilt cup with a cover, 
his title is pronounced, and he is invested with a tabret of the 
Royal arms richly embroidered upon velvet, a collar of SS, 
with two portcullises of silver gilt, a gold chain, with a badge 
of his office. Then the Earl-Marshal places on his head a 
crown of a king-of-arms, which formerly resembled a ducal 



278 OFFICE OF EARL MARSHALL. 

coronet ; but since the Restoration it has been adorned with 
leaves resembling those of the oak, and circumscribed accord- 
ing to ancient customs with the words, " Miserere mei Deus 
secundum magnum misericordiam tuamJ' 

Garter has also a mantle of crimson satin as an officer of 
the order, and a white rod or sceptre with the sovereign's 
arms upon the top, which he bears in the presence of the 
sovereign. There are three kings-at-arms. Garter is King- 
at-arms of England, Clarencieux is king of the province south 
of the Trent, and Norroy is king of the northern provinces. 
The heralds go through an initiatory ceremony as the kings, 
except the crowning. They are all military and civil officers, 
and in token of this they are all sworn on sword and Bible. 

The office of Earl-Marshal is among the highest and oldest. 
He is the eighth great officer of State, and is the only Earl 
who is an Earl by virtue of his office. 

The Lord Steward is another holder of a slip from the scep- 
tre. He has a white wand as an emblem of his authority 
under the Crown. He is supposed to have the sole direction 
of the Queen's household, and receives ^10,000 a year, though 
except on State occasions he is not required at Court, the 
practical functions of his office being discharged by the resi- 
dent master of the household. The Queen's establishments, 
however, excepting only the chamber, stables, and chapel, are 
supposed to be under his entire control. All his commands 
are to be obeyed, and he has power to hold courts for the 
administration of justice, and for settling disputes between 
the Queen's servants. The Lord Steward always bears his 
white wand when in the presence of the sovereign, and on 
all ceremonial occasions when the sovereign is not present 
the wand is borne before him by a footman walking bare- 



THRONE IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS. 279 

headed. He takes this symbol of delegated power directly 
from the sovereign's hand, and has no other formal grant 
of office. On the death of the monarch the Lord Steward 
breaks his wand of office over the corpse, and his functions 
are at an end, and all the officers of the Royal household are 
virtually discharged. 

The principal throne of Queen Victoria is in the House 
of Lords. It is elevated on a dais, the central portion having 
three, and the sides two steps, covered with a carpet of the 
richest velvet pile. The ground color of the carpet is a 
bright scarlet, and the pattern on it consists of roses and 
lions, alternately. A gold-colored fringe borders the carpet. 

The canopy to the Throne is divided into three apartments, 
the central one, much loftier than the others, for Her Majesty, 
that on the right hand for the Prince of Wales, and on the left 
that which used to be Prince Albert's. The back of the cen- 
tral compartment is paneled in the most exquisite manner. 
The three lowest tiers have the lions passant of England, 
carved and gilded on a red ground, and above them in a wide 
panel, arched, and enriched with dainty carvings, are the 
Royal arms of England, surrounded by the Garter, with its 
supporters, helmet and crest, and an elaborate mantling form- 
ing a rich and varied background. The motto, '*Dieu et Mon 
Droit," is on a horizontal band of deep blue tint. In small 
panels, traceried, parallel with the large arched one, are roses, 
shamrocks, and thistles, clustered together, and crowned ; 
and above them, in double arched panels, the Royal mono- 
gram, crowned and interwoven by a cord, are introduced. 

The Crown Jewels of Great Britain are kept at the Tower 
of London, and are entrusted to the care of the " Keeper of 
the Regalia." The office dates back to the reign of King 



28o CROWN JEWELS GENUINE. 

Charles II, when Colonel Blood attempted to steal the 
Royal crown, and the holder thereof ranks ex-officio with the 
first Knight Bachelor of the Kingdom. 

It may be of interest to the many American visitors to the 
Tower to learn that there is no foundation for the popular 
belief that the crown, the orb, and the other symbols of Roy- 
alty borne before the Queen on State occasions are merely 
imitations of the originals. This belief, however, is not one 
of long standing, and it may possibly have originated in the 
fact that some years ago a noble duke, to whom had been 
entrusted the proud and much envied privilege of carrying 
the crown on a cushion before the sovereign, accidentally 
dropped it. This was considered at the time an occurrence 
of ill-omen, especially as one of the famous stones was forced 
out of its setting by the fall and rolled upon the floor. It is 
the genuine Crown which is always taken to the House of 
Parliament and brought back to the Tower in one of the 
Royal carriages, escorted by Tower warders and by a strong 
force of mounted police. 

The civil list which the Queen receives from Parliament 
amounts to ^3,000,000, out of which she pays the salaries of 
the Royal Household, amounting to over ^1,000,000. The 
Prince of Wales receives from the State an annual income 
of $500,000 and his wife $50,000 per annum. In addition to 
this, the Prince of Wales receives another $200,000 from the 
State for the use of his children. Each of the younger sons 
of the Queen receives from the State an allowance of $125,- 
000 per annum, while Her Majesty's daughters have to 
remain content with allowances of $30,000 per annum. In 
addition to this, Queen Victoria's daughters have each 
received from the State a dowry of $150,000 at the time of 



JEWEL-HOUSE, LONDON. 28 1 

their marriage. All the vast Crown domains which formerly 
belonged to the reigning family were surrendered to the 
National Government during the reign of Queen Victoria's 
uncle, King George IV. The Queen's private property is 
far smaller than generally supposed and her landed property 
limited in extent. 

The Jewel-house contains all the crown jewels of England, 
inclosed, in an immense case. Prominent among them is the 
crown made for the coronation of Queen Victoria, at the ex- 
pense of about ^600,000. Among the profusion of diamonds 
is the large ruby worn by the Black Prince, mentioned above ; 
the crown made for the coronation of Charles II ; the crown 
of the Prince of Wales, and that of the late Prince Consort ; 
the crown made for the coronation of James IPs Queen ; also 
her ivory sceptre. The coronation spoon, and bracelets and 
royal spurs, swords of Mercy and Justice, are among the other 
jewels. Here, too, is the silver-gilt baptismal font, in which 
is deposited the christening water for the Royal children, and 
the celebrated Koh-i-noor diamond, the present property of 
Queen Victoria, and the object of such interest at the Great 
Exhibition in Hyde Park in 1851. It formerly belonged to 
Runjeet Singh, chief of Lahore, and was called the " Moun- 
tain of Light," and its value is untold. 

The Queen's two railway saloons for Continental journeys, 
which are the private property of Her Majesty, and which 
are kept at Brussels, at the Gare du Nord, are connected by 
a passage, and are fitted with electric bells, and lighted with 
oil lamps, as the Queen does not like the electric light for 
reading or writing. The day saloon is furnished with sofas, 
arm-chairs of various kinds, and foot-stools, all covered with 
blue silk, with fringes and tassels of yellow. The walls are 
17 



282 PRIVATE RAILWAY CARRIAGES. 

hung with blue and pearl-gray silk, brocaded with the rose, 
shamrock, and thistle, in yellow. There is a writing-table of 
walnut-wood, two small tables, and one large one, on which 
meals are served during a journey. The floor is covered with 
an Indian carpet of dark blue, and the curtains are blue and 
white. There is a separate compartment in front for the 
Queen's Highland attendant, Francis Clark, the successor of 
John Brown. 

The night saloon is a larger carriage, and it is divided into 
several compartments. The dressing-room is decorated in 
Japanese style, and the floor is covered with bamboo. There 
is a white metal bath, and the toilet service and large basins 
on the washstand (which is covered with dark morocco 
leather) are of the same material. The bed-room is decorated 
in gray and light brown, and contains two beds, the largest 
of which is occupied by the Queen. There is another com- 
partment, in which is stored away the luggage needed by the 
Queen during the journey, and two maids occupy it, and 
sleep on sofas. 



CHARACTERISTICS OF 

THE 

HEIR APPARENT. 

CHAPTER XVII. 

IF the chivalrous and knightly character of the Austrian Em- 
peror reminds one of ancient rather than modern times, 
that of the Prince of Wales, on the other hand, must be re- 
garded as thoroughly in keeping with the present age. Eng- 
land's future King is exceedingly what the French describe as 
^'fin de siecle^^ (end of the century), whereas Francis Joseph 
would be set down by many as an old-fashioned man. 
The one is the knight of the Round-Table epoch, the other 
the gentleman of the last quarter of the nineteenth century, 
and possessing all the merits and a few of the vices of the 
English club-man of to-day. 

That the Prince is quite as fully imbued as others with the 
sacred character of Royalty is clearly to be seen from the 
harsh and cutting manner in which he has resented his sister 
Louise's marriage to Lord Lome and that of Princess Beatrice 
to the Hebrew-descended Henry of Battenberg. While, 
however, he loses no opportunity of making these two 
brothers-in-law of his feel the impassable gulf which separates 
his rank and station from theirs, he is most careful to conceal 
from the general public his opinions as to the divinity that 
hedges Kings and their offspring from the common herd. 
He possesses in the most marked degree that principal in- 
gredient of power, influence and success, namely tact, and it 
is to this particular that he owes his widespread popularity. 

I remember witnessing an amusing manifestation of this 
tact on the part of the Prince. The Right Honorable A. 

283 



284 CONTRASTING CHARACTERS. 

Mundella, who was born In England as the son of an exiled 
Carbonari, held for many years the leadership of the extreme 
Radical — nay, I might almost say, the Republican Party in the 
Kingdom. He was a bitter foe of Royalty, and as member 
of Parliament for Sheffield was always the first to protest 
against money being granted to the members of the Sover- 
eign's family. One autumn day the Prince and Princess of 
Wales happened to pass through Sheffield on their way to 
their Scotch castle at Abergeldie. Their train only halted for 
about ten minutes in the station — just long enough to change 
engines and to examine the wheels. But the Prince made 
good use of the time. Hearing that Mr. Mundella was on 
the platform of the station awaiting some friends, and that he 
was billed to deliver one of his usual inflammatory and almost 
revolutionary addresses in the afternoon, the Prince caused 
him to be summoned to the door of his saloon carriage. 
After shaking hands most heartily, he presented him to the 
Princess, who, following her husband's cue, was equally gra- 
cious to the Radical leader. The Prince thereupon ex- 
claimed : 

"I hear, my dear Mr. Mundella, that you are about to de- 
liver one of your eloquent addresses to your constituents this 
afternoon. I do wish you would oblige both the Princess 
and myself by availing yourself of that opportunity to inform 
the good people of Sheffield how sorry we are not to be able 
to stay here for a few days on our way north, and that you 
would tell them with what pleasure we look back to the royal 
and enthusiastic demonstrations with which they welcomed us 
on the occasion of our last visit." 

At that moment the engine whistled, the bell clanged and 
the royal train moved out of the station, leaving Mr. Mun- 



A DIPLOMATIC PRINCE. 285 

della bowing low in response to the friendly smiles and waves 
of the hand of the Prince and Princess. That same after- 
noon he completely staggered his constituents by appearing 
in the guise of an emissary from Royalty, instead of that of 
its most bitter assailant. On rising to address the meeting, 
he began: "Gentlemen, I have been commissioned by their 
Royal Highnesses, the Prince and Princess of Wales, to com- 
municate to you the following gracious message," which he 
then proceeded to deliver in his most unctuous and senten- 
tious manner. After such an opening it was obviously out 
of the question to expect him to deliver his customary dia- 
tribes against Royalty, and, like Balaam of old, he blessed 
those whom he had been summoned to curse. From that 
date forth Mr. Mundella's political sentiments underwent a 
considerable change. The ex-factory boy became a frequent 
guest at Marlborough-House, and in a short time became so 
much reconciled to the doctrines of Royalty that he aban- 
doned his hopes of a future Presidency of an eventual British 
Republic to become a Privy Councillor to the Queen. He 
has since held office as Cabinet Minister, and according to 
present appearances will die a rabid and bigoted Tory of the 
old school. 

Hundreds of similar instances might be cited to illustrate 
the Prince's extraordinary tact. The latter is indeed one of 
the principal sources of his power in England. For although 
jealously debarred by his queenly mother from any active 
share in the Government of the nation, he wields a sover- 
eignty of his own creation, — an extremely beneficial one in 
many respects — which is far more powerful and autocratic 
than hers. Its character is of a social nature, and he is 
able to decree either the social success or the social death of 



286 UNUSUAL SOCIAL POWER. 

any one that may attract his notice. A few quiet hints as to 
the fact that he objects to some particular individual is suffi- 
cient to cause the social ostracism of the latter, whereas a 
word of commendation from his lips is all that is needed to 
become a fair leader of society. It is he alone who has made 
the social posidon of the Rothschilds in London, and that, too, 
within the last fifteen years. Before that they were kept out- 
side the pale of the social world, whereas now they are be- 
coming its leaders. Baron Hirsch, the Hebrew millionaire, is 
another case in point. His financial dealings with the Sub- 
lime Porte and with other Governments were of so exceed- 
ingly unsavory a nature that, notwithstanding all the efforts 
of the Orleans Princes to secure his election, he was black- 
balled by the Paris Jockey Club. The Prince, however, took 
him up a short time ago and pitchforked him into the whirl- 
pool of London society, of which he has now become a shin- 
ing light. The financier whose reputation was considered as 
being too shady to admit of his election to the Paris Jockey 
Club has been honored in London with the exceedingly rare 
privilege of the private entree at Buckingham Palace, and 
has blossomed forth into an honored guest, not only at Marl- 
borough-House, but also at the mansions of men so exclusive 
as the Dukes of Richmond and Westminster, which the Prince 
frequents. I mention these cases to show the Prince's ex- 
traordinary social power, an autocracy which, all things con- 
sidered, has been of a beneficent and fortunate nature.j 
Good-natured almost to a fault, his otherwise sound judgment' 
and common-sense become sometimes warped by the in- 
sidious influences of unworthy friends. 

When his record comes to be written in the Great Book, I 
think that it will be found that the chief and almost only 



A WARM-HEARTED FRIEND. 28/ 

wrong-doings of this most happy and pleasure-loving Prince 
will be on the score of bad companionship. It is, however, 
impossible to retain any notions as to the divine or sacred 
character of his Royalty when hearing of him as bandying 
witticisms of a rather risque nature with sprightly French 
actresses, and absorbing a hearty midnight supper in some 
boulevard restaurant with a few boon companions. More- 
over, it seems to me rather incongruous that right reverend 
fathers in God, such as the Archbishops of Canterbury and 
York, should ever be called upon to kiss the hand which has 
a moment before clasped that of some frail queen of the 
opera bouffe ; and rather than attempt to force myself to re- 
gard his jovial Royal Highness with the awe and veneration 
due to an anointed of the Lord, if not in esse, at any rate in 
futuro, I prefer to continue to consider him in the light of a 
warm-hearted friend, as an honorable and kindly gentleman 
in every sense of the word, and as a man whom, either as 
Prince or peasant, any one would be proud and happy to pos- 
sess as a friend. 

With traits of character such as these, it is only natural that 
he should be exceedingly popular with all classes. Indeed it 
is open to question whether the English people do not prefer 
the presence to the absence of his faults. For the latter are 
those of a generous, pleasure-loving nature, and without 
these ^^ petits vices^' as the French call them, he would run the 
risk of being regarded with the same disfavor as his father, 
the Prince Consort, whose blameless life and faultless char- 
acter led to his being considered by the English people at 
large as something of a prig. 

On the whole, they are right to view the faults of the Royal 
Welshman with indulgence. For, aside from the natural dis- 



288 THE AVERAGE ENGLISHMAN. 

inclination to provoke outbursts of ill-temper on the part of 
so good-humored and jovial-hearted a Prince, there is a uni- 
versal disposition to abstain from all individual criticism or 
censure of his conduct. He lives in an atmosphere of such 
loyalty that it may almost be described as sycophancy, and 
although he may be made the object of collective and indirect 
criticism from those who do not come into actual contact with 
him, yet there is no one who ventures personally to point out 
to him the right and wrong of his ways. If he has remained 
an honorable and true-hearted gentleman, and if his record 
is free from all but mere venial sins, it is due to his own sound 
common-sense, his innate honesty of purpose, and his in- 
grained horror of everything that is mean and vulgar. And 
with regard to this distinction between collective and Individ- 
ual criticism, it is well to bear in mind that all the sentiments 
which foreigners are disposed to regard as indicating dis- 
loyalty and latent Republicanism in England are merely col- 
lective, and not individual. The average every-day English- 
man is at heart as much a snob now as he was in the days 
when Thackeray held him up to the ridicule of the world. 
There is no son of John Bull who is not susceptible to the 
influence of rank, and perhaps the best illustration that can 
be given thereof is the mention of the fact that the Reverend 
Lord Normanby has been obliged to resign the rectorship of 
his parish at Worsley owing to the influx of corpses. Since 
the excellent parson's succession to his father's title five years 
ago, everybody that could possibly afford it in the neighboring 
towns and districts seemed to have given directions before 
dying that their funeral should take place at Worsley, so that 
they might enjoy the post-mortem satisfaction of having a real 
marquis read the burial service over their bodies. As long 



INFLUENCE ON ENGLISH LIFE. 289 

as sentiments such as these prevail in England the days 
of republicanism are far off. 

At any rate the Prince has a most excellent influence on 
the English people, and has done more good than can be 
recorded here, both to the classes, and to the masses. 

I am perfectly aware that my assertions with regard to the 
beneficial character of the influence of the Prince of Wales 
upon English life will sound strange to the ears of those who 
have been accustomed to regard the eldest son of Queen Vic- 
toria as responsible for most of the loose screws that appear 
in the social system of Great Britain, and that they will be dis- 
inclined to believe that he has ever contributed in any way to 
the amelioration of the character, the behavior, and the morals 
of John Bull. 

If, however, the Englishman of to-day is more respectable, 
less coarse and boorish, and more correct both in feeHng and 
manner — an improvement which no one will venture to deny — 
it is mainly attributable to the Prince of Wales. Up to the 
time when the latter commenced his social reign in 1863, 
heavy drinking at dinner after the ladies had left the table 
was the invariable rule, and the phrase "as drunk as a lord," 
a term not of reproach but of praise. Inebriety was not con- 
sidered as a vice — nay, not even as bad form ; and but small 
respect or consideration was accorded by society to the man 
who could not dispose of the traditional " three bottles at a 
sitting," Of course the example thus set by the classes was 
followed and adopted in a still more intensified degree by the 
masses, the only difference consisting in the character and the 
quality of the liquor. 

Indeed, during the early portion of the reign of Queen 
Victoria, the drunkenness in Great Britain was something 



290 IMPROVEMENT IN MORALS. 

perfectly appalling. The very marked decline of that vice — 
which was formerly regarded as a peculiarly English failing — is 
due to the Prince of Wales. It is entirely owing to the influ- 
ence of that social despot that hard drinking is no longer 
countenanced by society;, and as in everything else so also in 
this the masses follow in the steps of the classes. Drunken- 
ness is now regarded as being bad form in the banqueting 
halls of the Peer, as well as in the back parlor of the small 
shopkeeper, in the smoking-room of the crack London Clubs 
as in the cafe or barroom of the suburban "pub" or gin- 
mill. 

Swearing and coarse language too have gone out of fashion. 
Neither Lord nor commoner deems it necessary any longer to 
preface every remark with an oath or to interlard each sen- 
tence with blood-curdling blasphemy. This change for the 
better is, like the decrease of hard drinking, attributable to the 
Prince of Wales. One of the very best features of the Eng- 
lish people is the respect which they, one and all, manifest 
towards the ordinances of the Church. It may be that there is 
more conventionality than real heart-felt religion in the attitude 
of many of them, but be the motives and causes what they may, 
the result achieved is an excellent one. For regular attendance 
at church is certain to exercise an influence far more benefi- 
cial than injurious, and the moral tone of a nation which has 
been brought by its social autocrat to look upon this regular 
attendance at church as a sine qua non of respectability, can- 
not be considered otherwise than as healthy in the extreme. 
Now this church-going is but another instance of the potency 
of the Prince's influence. He makes a point of never miss- 
ing to put in an appearance at church at least once every 



SUNDAY AT SANDRINGHAM. 29 1 

Sunday. The classes have scrupulously followed his example 
in the matter, and so too again have the masses. 

Anent this phase of the Prince's character nothing can be 
more amusing than to watch him when at Sandringham mar- 
shalling his guests off to church on Sunday morning. Shortly 
before eleven he will make his appearance in the hall, and 
chaffingly order everybody nolens volens to get ready for 
church. Those who happen to belong to the Catholic creed 
are sent off in carriages to King's-Lynn, while the Church of 
England people walk through the Park to the small but 
exceedingly pretty little church which the Prince had built on 
his Norfolk estate. He will invariably remain in the hall 
until he has seen the whole party off, and will then bring up 
the rear guard himself, keeping a sharp lookout for stragglers. 

I do not desire to be regarded in any way as an apologist 
of the Prince — the kindest, most considerate and thoughtful 
of friends. For an apology always implies evil perpetrated. 
But I should like to show the Prince as he really is : I may 
claim to know something about him, much more probably 
than those who, without any personal or direct knowledge of 
the man, have so systematically blackened his reputation, both 
in speech and print. Among all those persons who are so 
especially ready to write and repeat stories of the Prince's 
profligacy and depravity there is very likely not a single one 
who has been personally acquainted with him, or who knew 
of his mode of life otherwise than by hearsay. 

The best criterion of a man's character is furnished by his 
home life, and writing from personal experience I do not 
believe that in all the broad lands of old England, there exists 
a more unaffected, happy, and altogether charming home than 
that of the Prince of Wales at Sandringham. There are 



292 ROYAL HOSPITALITY. 

doubtless many country houses as luxurious and some more 
magnificent, but there is hardly another where so much com- 
fort is united with such exquisite taste and refinement. It is 
the Prince himself who welcomes the arriving guests in the 
hall, and who, after taking you ,off to the Princess's room on 
the ground floor for refreshment in the shape of five o'clock 
tea, brings you upstairs himself to your room, in order to see 
that you have everything you want. Nor will he leave you 
until he has rung the bell and instructed one of the servants 
to specially attend to your wants and comforts. Dinner, which 
usually takes place at a number of small round tables, each 
laid for a party of six or eight at the very most, does not 
usually last more than an hour, for the Prince, although a 
great gourmet, hates long and overloaded menus. After the 
ladies have retired to the drawing rooms, the men remain to 
discuss a glass of claret and smoke a cigarette ; then they join 
the ladies. At about midnight the latter withdraw, while the 
men accompany the Prince to the smoking and billiard rooms. 
One of the favorite guests at Sandringham is the American 
Duchess of Manchester, whose infamous treatment by her late 
husband had aroused the sympathy of both the Prince and 
Princess in her behalf. Everything that both of them could 
possibly invent to brighten her unhappy lot was done, and I 
should imagine that some of the very best moments of her 
otherwise sorrowful life have been spent under the roof of 
her kind-hearted and considerate friends, the Prince and 
Princess of Wales. She is usually accompanied by one or 
more of her children. Children indeed, and young people in 
general, constitute one of the most attractive features of the 
house-parties at Sandringham, and the Prince is seen at his 
best when among them. I remember often silently wishing 



THIRTY YEARS OF WEDDED LIFE. 293 

that some of his calumniators could have the opportunity of 
watching him surrounded by a group of merry and affectionate 
children, in all of whose sports he is wont to join in the most 
boyish and unconstrained manner. For it is sufficient to 
banish from one's thoughts all unkindly feeling, as well as all 
belief in the stories which set him down as a selfish and heart- 
less libertine. Children are proverbially the best judges of 
character, and in order to form an estimation of the manner 
in which the Prince is regarded by them, it is only necessary 
to hear with what degree of tenderness all his numerous 
nephews and nieces talk of " Uncle Bertie." 

Another phase of the Prince's life which affords an indica- 
tion of his character is his behavior to the Princess. I am 
fully aware that there are many, on both sides of the At- 
)antic, who regard Her Royal Highness with feelings of com- 
miseration, and who look upon her as a woman deeply in- 
jured by the innumerable infidelities ascribed to the Prince. 
The pity of these sympathizers has been, however, alto- 
gether wasted, for I do not know of any couple who through- 
out thirty years of married life have maintained such intimate 
and loving relations to one another — relations which consti- 
tute the best refutation of all the calumnies circulated about 
the Prince. When at Sandringham, and at Marlborough- 
House, the Royal Couple invariably occupy the same room 
— a trivial bit of information, yet indicative of the feelings 
that exist between husband and wife. For it is manifest that 
had one-thousandth part of the stories about the Prince's de- 
pravity been true, the Princess, who is a woman of far more 
spirit than she is credited with, would never tolerate such 
intimacy. 

Quite a number of these stories owe their origin to ladies 



294 BASKING IN ROYAL SUNSHINE. 

who desire to have their names coupled with his. It is per- 
fectly impossible for any one who has not witnessed it to con- 
ceive the absolutely flagrant manner in which ladies, even of 
the highest rank, set their caps at him and hunt him down 
Hke a quarry. At balls, garden parties, race meetings, etc., 
the whole aim of the fair sex present is to have their presence 
noticed by the Heir Apparent, who, apart from his power as 
autocrat of English society, possesses the most gracious and 
winsome manner imaginable. He has the reputation, and 
justly so, of being an admirer of the fair sex, and hence the 
members of the latter are wont to put forth all their charms 
and wiles in attempts to obtain the privilege of basking in the 
Royal Sunshine. Nothing can be more entertaining than to 
watch one of these fair ones with cheeks flushed and eyes 
charged with magnetism, bending forward to the Prince. 
" No harm meant " — but they are prepared to go many 
lengths to obtain, and after that to retain the special favor and 
good will of the genial despot. The Prince, who is the es- 
sence of good nature, seldom repels these gushing demon- 
strations of the dame, and the result is that fresh stories are 
hinted forth to the effect that the Lady A, or Mrs. B, has 
become another victim of His Royal Highness's depravity. 

Many persons on reading this will feel disposed to inter- 
rupt me with the remark, " But what about Lady Mordaunt ? ** 
In reply thereto I would merely draw their attention to the 
fact that the Prince declining to avail himself of his legal im- 
munities and privileged station voluntarily entered the wit- 
ness box, submitted both to examination and cross-examina- 
tion by counsel, and was finally acquitted by a jury composed 
of his countrymen. Like many members of London society, 
he is on terms of friendship with Lady Mordaunt as well as 



THE BACCARAT SCANDAL. ' 295 

with her sisters, the Countess of Dudley, the Duchess of 
Athole, and Lady Forbes. In consequence of the etiquette 
which prohibits the presence of any other visitors during a 
Royal afternoon call, the Prince generally saw Lady Mor- 
daunt alone, and hence had peculiar difficulty in justifying 
himself He was placed in an exceptionally painful position 
from which he issued with flying colors and increased popu- 
larity. 

While on the subject of the Prince's appearance before 
Courts of Justice, it may be as well to say a few words con- 
cerning the circumstances which led to his only other acte de 
presence in the witness box. Of course, I refer to the much- 
discussed baccarat scandal. While it is quite possible and 
even probable that the unfortunate and impardonable be- 
havior of the Wilson family in the matter was prompted by a 
malice and a hatred towards Sir William Gordon Gumming, 
which prevented them from acting with either discretion, tact 
or hospitality in the affair, it is altogether a mistake to waste 
any sympathy upon the Baronet. But few people are aware 
of the fact that when the charge of cheating at cards brought 
against him first became known, his brother officers of the 
Scots Guards Regiment met together and offered him to form 
themselves into a private and non-official Court of Inquiry. 
They added that the honor of the Regiment was at stake and 
that on this ground as well as on that of old comradeship they 
were anxious that he should furnish them with means of con- 
vincing all others of their firm belief in his innocence, thus 
enabling each officer of the corps to become a champion of 
his (Gordon Cumming's) cause, and of his honor. Notwith- 
standing their assurance that the inquiry should be conducted 
with entire secrecy and not as an official investigation, but as 



296 LOYALTY TO HIS FRIENDS. 

a private endeavor on the part of a number of good and true 
fellows to get a friend out of a scrape into which he had be- 
come involved by signing the promise never to play cards 
aofain. Sir William declined the offer. It was then, and then 
only, that his fellow-officers and former friends cut loose from 
him, for his refusal was equivalent to a confession of guilt. 
Moreover, I doubt whether many women will continue to feel 
sympathy for him when they learn that his habit of bragging 
about his gallantries and his liaisons had led to his being 
dubbed in London with the significant nickname of " Wil- 
liam Tell." 

Far from ever being guilty of disloyalty to a friend — a 
charge which was brought against him in connection with Sir 
William Gordon Gumming, the Prince's one great fault 
throughout his life has been that his loyalty has led him to 
cling to friends that have proved themselves unworthy of the 
honor, and to persist in closing his eyes to the shortcomings 
on their part that were patent to everybody else. No man 
that I have ever known has stuck more closely and loyally to 
his friends, a fact in itself sufficient to win for him the good 
will of every one possessed of proper feeling. Every mem- 
ber of his large household, from Lords-in-waiting and equer- 
ries, down- to the very lowest stable-help and under-gardener, 
has been in his employ for ten, twenty, and in more than one 
case even thirty years. Few people who enter the service 
of the Prince either care or are forced to leave it, save only 
when they cover themselves with terrible disgrace, such as in 
the altogether exceptional case of Lord Arthur Somerset. 
• The Prince of Wales when he comes to the throne will be 
an ideal constitutional Sovereign, far more so even than Queen 
Victoria, for whereas the latter has repeatedly manifested her 



POLITICAL INCLINATIONS. 297 

very strong preferences for the Tories, the Prince has never 
throughout his long career furnished the slightest indication 
as to his political inclinations. Neither his friends and ac- 
quaintances, nor yet the public, have the remotest idea 
whether his tendencies are in the direction of the Conserva- 
tives or in that of the Liberals. Indeed no one can even 
boast of knowing how the Prince feels on the subject of Irish 
Home Rule. He displays just as -much good-will, courtesy 
and attention towards Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone, as towards 
Lord and Lady Salisbury, and not a birthday of the Grand 
Old Man has ever been permitted to pass by without his re- 
ceiving a kindly telegram of good-will and congratulation from 
the Prince, whom the venerable Statesman, so often subjected 
to unmerited neglect by the Queen, must long to hail as King 
before called upon to intone his Nunc Dimittis. This extra- 
ordinary impartiality displayed by the Prince in all political 
matters — a characteristic in which he offers a most striking 
contrast to every other Prince of Wales who has ever stood 
on the steps of the Throne — must not be in any way ascribed 
to indifference, for the Heir Apparent is far too good and 
true a Briton, to remain unmoved or uninterested by the 
political questions of his day. There is no more familiar 
figure than his, seated in the Peer's Gallery whenever an im- 
portant debate takes place in the House of Commons, and it 
is with every appearance of the most keen attention that he 
leans forward, his irreproachably gloved hands folded in one 
another, and resting on the balcony rail as he gazes down on 
the oftentimes tumultuous scene below. Moreover the For- 
eign Office in accordance with his request is wont to forward 
to Marlborough-House a copy of every despatch received or 
sent that is submitted to the Queen. There is every reason 



298 THE prince's charity. 

to believe therefore that the Prince is quite as keen a politi- 
cian as the majority of Englishmen, and under the circum- 
stances the fact that he should have even in the moments of 
greatest popular excitement been able to maintain a de- 
meanor so impassive that no one could discover the direction 
of his sentiments affords an extraordinary and striking illus- 
tration of his wonderful power of self-control, of his marvel- 
lous tact, and his altogether unparalleled obedience to that un- 
written, clause of the British Constitution which demands 
strict political impartiality on the part of the Sovereign either 
in esse or in futuro. 

Throughout the last five and twenty years there has not 
been a single philanthropic or charitable enterprise of any 
importance which has not been indebted to the Prince of 
Wales for vital assistance, and in numerous cases for initia- 
tion. He renders charity and philanthropy fashionable, and 
many hundreds of thousands of pounds have been devoted 
by wealthy persons to good works in the knowledge that 
there was no surer road to the Prince's favor than unstinted 
and free-handed charity. It was with the object of pleasing 
the Prince that Sir Francis Cook, the London merchant, gave 
^200,000 towards the endowment of a home for girls attend- 
ing the Royal College of Music, and it was with the same 
purpose in view that the great building contractor. Sir Thomas 
Lucas, constructed and presented a building worth another 
^200,000 for use as the home in question. Both men earned 
the Prince's good will, which took the form of a couple of 
Baronetcies. The number of hospitals which have been 
founded by the Heir Apparent, or which have been assisted 
by him either with direct donation or with appeals to the pub- 
lic, reaches over a hundred, and up to this time the Prince has 



A HIGHLY USEFUL LIFE. 299 

brought into life no less than forty Orphanages. Moreover, 
he is responsible, in a great measure, for the enormous devel- 
opment of the art of industry and trade which has followed 
the various national and international exhibitions held in 
Great Britain under the patronage, and in many cases, under 
the personal and active direction of the Heir Apparent. With 
such a record as the one which I have attempted to describe, 
it is impossible to do otherwise than to admit the claims of 
the Prince to have a place not alone in the hearts of his 
countrymen, but also in the history of the nation, His life, 
which may at first sight appear to superficial observers frivo- 
lous, useless, and altogether wasted in selfish pleasures, will 
now bear a different aspect in their eyes. Few men, and 
certainly no Princes, are able to have the consciousness of 
having done so much, both directly and indirectly, to improve 
the condition of their fellow-creatures — aye, and of the dumb 
animals as well. While no one will ever dream of attempt- 
ing to canonize Albert Edward, and to include him in the 
list of more or less reputable Saints when he dies, I venture 
to assert that he will figure on the pages of the Great Book 
with far more good to his record than many a man with a 
greater reputation for Saintliness. The life of the Prince is 
an extremely useful one to his fellow-countrymen to whom he 
devotes it, and the benefits of his long work in their behalf 
are likely to endure, not alone in their hearts, but also in let- 
ters of gold on some of the brightest pages of the History 
of England. 

More than any other Englishman, either in official or pri- 
vate life, is the Prince an advocate of the maintenance of the 
closest possible relations between Great Britain and the 
United States. His sentiments toward the latter seem to 



30O THE "YANKEE MECCA. 

have dated from the period of his visit to America. One of 
the most memorable incidents of this visit by-the-by was 
when he, the grandson of King George III, bowed his head 
in prayer before the tomb of Washington at Mount Vernon, 
and subsequently planted a tree in the adjoining ground for 
the purpose of commemorating his pilgrimage to that historic 
spot. No non-English people ever receive a more hearty 
welcome at Marlborough House than Americans, whom he 
prefers to regard not as foreigners but as kinsmen. Indeed, 
so marked is the predilection which he manifests for the so- 
ciety of Americans that his own subjects frequently allude to 
Marlborough House as the "Yankee Mecca." 

A peculiarity of the Prince of Wales is the amazing fashion 
in which he keeps a clear head under the most trying circum- 
stances. The following amusing account, of which the truth 
is vouched for, is given of the scene which took place with 
the Prince on the occasion of the earthquake along the 
Riviera. 

It appears that His Royal Highness had come back in the 
early morning from a dance, and after a quiet half cigar on 
the balcony — the night was exquisite — had gone to bed and 
very soon fell asleep. The hotel was silent, as usual, the 
only sound upon the air being the distant rumble of the bag- 
gage-car on its way to the station, and the occasional wail of 
a cor de ckasse, which some night-walking wretch down on the 
Promenade de la Croisette was fitfully and tipsily blowing. 
And then all of a sudden came the earthquake. Every room 
in the hotel groaned with its walls, creaked with its floor and 
rattled with its furniture. All the dogs in it howled together, 
and the noisy macaw in the manager's office screeched at the 
top of his voice. Then came a lull, as sudden as the disturb- 



VALUE OF A CLEAR HEAD. 3OI 

ance, and the smothered sound of many slippered feet and 
soft rustling dressing-gowns were hurrying along the corridors 
and down the marble stairs. And the Prince ? At the first 
suggestion of danger his faithful equerry, Col. Clarke, bounded 
out of bed, and making his way across the smoking saloon 
knocked at the door of the Prince's bedroom : 

** What's the matter ? " asked a drowsy voice. 

"There's an earthquake come. Sir," was the shouted reply. 

"Then why didn't you send it away ? " was the Royal 
answer. 

" Won't you come outside, Sir ? " 

" Outside ? No, certainly not. I'm in bed. Go away." 

The equerry, his duty performed, followed the hurrying 
crowd out into the open air, under the deep blue sky and 
tranquil stars. After an hour of this peaceful scene, alarm 
died away and every one had returned to the hotel to dress 
when the second shock came, driving them all out again into 
the garden. 

The equerry's thoughts again at once flew to the sleeping 
Prince. The Heir Apparent to the Throne of Great Britain 
was, in a measure, in his special charge. How had he ac- 
quitted himself of his sacred stewardship ? A twinge of con- 
science made him feel uncomfortable as he sat out there in 
the still garden on an inverted watering-pot, expecting the 
tall chimneys of the diplomat's house across the square to 
come toppling down over him. He had not aroused the 
Prince at the second shock. So he got up, returned to the 
hotel, and, passing through the public rooms — His Royal 
Highness was on the ground floor, in a sort of annex, that 
projected into a private flower-planted court — reached the 
Prince's door and knocked. There was no response. He 



302 AT CONTINENTAL COURTS. 

knocked again. Still no answer. A third, louder than be- 
fore, loud enough in fact to rouse all the seven sleepers. But 
still no answering voice. And then the horrid truth, sudden 
as was the earthquake shock, flashed into the wretched 
equerry's mind. Something was wrong. Had the Prince 
perished ? 

In an instant he had flung the door open and dashed across 
the ante-room. The curtains at the door of the bed chamber 
were drawn close togfether. With a frenzied hand he seized 
them and drew them apart. As he did so, something, but 
whether an aerolite, a thunder-bolt, or a falling beam, he knew 
not, struck him full in the face. 

Strange lights danced before his eyes. His head swam, and 
in a momentary faintness he leant against the door. But the 
next moment a voice fell on his ear, grave and reproachful : 
" Look here, Clarke, I won't have any more of this, and if 
you don't shut up making that beastly row and let me go to 
sleep, I'll shy the other boot at you." 

The Prince does not as a rule, I must confess, find the at- 
mosphere of the continental courts congenial, and he fails to 
hit it off with any of the Monarchs now reigning. He does 
not get on well for any length of time with his nephew, the 
Emperor of Germany. 

The Emperor of Austria, who was once fond of him, has 
become exceedingly cold and distant toward him since the 
scandal in connection with his attempt to force the company 
of Baron Hirsch upon the various members of the Austrian 
and Hungarian aristocracy, who made preparation to enter- 
tain him. 

Neither King Humbert nor the Czar, nor yet the young 
King of Portugal, has ever liked him, while it is antipathy 



UNIVERSAL POPULARITY. 303 

rather than sympathy that exists between King Leopold and 
his English cousin, the Prince of Wales. 

With all this, few people enjoy more universal popularity 
among the people at large in Paris, Vienna, Berlin, and Rome, 
than the British Heir Apparent. 

The reason of the ill-will, manifested in a more or less sjlent 
fashion by the various Monarchs of Europe toward the Royal 
Welshman, is attributable mainly to the fact that they, one 
and all, regard him as too careless of his princely dignity, 
and altogether too free and easy and sans facon. 

The fact is that the Prince of Wales is altoo^ether too un- 
affected and too little posew to suit their tastes. Continental 
rulers are almost invariably in uniform, belted, spurred, 
sabred and decorated, and that the Prince should prefer a pot 
hat, a shooting jacket and a cane to regimentals is to them 
altogether inexplicable. 

They seem to like what may be termed the theatrical and 
decorative part of their work. They want to show the peo- 
ple that they govern, and from morning to evening they are 
at '* attention," in full regimentals. 

The majority of them would no more think of going about 
their capitals without some distinctive mark of their rank than 
Leo XIII. would of takinof off his white cassock and of don- 
ning a derby hat and tweed suit for a stroll on the Corso, 
with a cigarette between his lips. 

Pomp, parade and show are the very breath of their life, 
whereas there is nothing that the Prince of Wales detests so 
much. He is far more of the world than one who aims to be 
above the world. Ceremony and all the theatrical portion 
of Royalty are to him an insufferable bore, and he infinitely 
prefers a good cigar and a chat with a pretty woman or a 



304 ARBITER OF ENGLISH SOCIETY. 

clever man to galloping about, reviewing troops or presiding 
over state functions. 

In a word, the Prince of Wales, in the eyes of the Conti- 
nental Sovereigns, permits his role as the private gentleman 
and the leader of society to encroach too largely on his Royal 

dignity. .... ^ 

In this, however, it is he who is right, and they who are | 
wrong, for, as the arbiter of English society, of the entire so- 
cial system of the British Empire, the Prince exercises a far 
greater and more real power than any foreign despot. 

The very strongest proof of the truth of my assertion is 
furnished by the acknowledged fact that he is able to maintain 
his rank and to possess intimate friends among his future sub- 
jects without being forced to adopt any of the safeguards 
that are needed by the European Monarchs to protect their 
dignity from the presumption and impertinence of inferiors. 

There are few European Sovereigns who venture to address 
a subordinate in rank without Imparting to their voice and to 
their manner a kind of condescending tone, with a view of 
thoroughly keeping the person with whom they are speaking 
at a distance and In his proper place. 

There are some potentates indeed who even go so far as 
to assume almost a baby voice, as If speaking to a child, when 
addressing an Inferior and wishing to be particularly amiable 
and pleasant. 

With the Prince of Wales, however, there is no necessity 
for any such manoeuvres as these. 

He has no need of affecting condescension, and when he 
does condescend, he conceals the fact with the greatest deli- 
cacy and tact. With all this, he is the last to tolerate pre- 



VARIOUS AMUSEMENTS. 305 

sumption, but so careful and so diplomatic is his manner that 
he has scarcely ever been exposed thereto. 

Cards are not the only amusement patronized by the Prince 
of Wales. He is exceedingly fond of shooting, and a first- 
rate shot. He contrives, however, to get the largest amount 
of sport possible with the least amount of exertion. His per- 
sonal attendants are given the benefit of most of the exercise, 
and His Royal Highness gets the fun. 

Unconsciously, the Heir Apparent is most exacting when 
out for a day's shooting, and wants more waiting upon than a 
woman in delicate health. " Just do this," and " Just do that," 
are his constant commands, and the^end of the day finds his 
victims weary beyond expression and fit for nothing but bed. 

The joke is that the Prince always looks perfectly innocent 
of the undue demands he is making upon the endurance of 
those about him, and having escaped all exertion himself, 
cannot understand how it is that his companions are so 
fatigued. 

The Prince never liked cricket, at least never since the date 
of a memorable game organized specially for his entertain- 
ment shortly after he took up his residence at Sandringham, 
about five and twenty years ago. 

It was in this match that the Prince was to make his debut 
as a cricketer, and all the local magnates were present. It 
was Mr. Charles Wright who was the captain of the eleven 
opposing that of the Prince. 

Before the game commenced Mr. Wright carefully coached 
each one of his men on the necessity of letting the Prince 
have a chance and of helping him to run up a nice little score, 
which might conduce to that self-satisfaction so essential to 
enthusiasm in any pursuit. 



3o6 FIRST GAME OF CRICKET. 

All went well until the Prince came to take his innings, 
when, Mr. Wright being the bowler, either forgetting his 
elaborate cautions to others, or else unable to resist the 
temptation to add to his fame, incontinently bowled his future 
King out with the first ball, and so ended forever the hopes 
of the Prince of Wales's patronage for the cricket fraternity. 
The Prince could never be prevailed upon to play again. 

Among the idiosyncrasies of the Prince of Wales, which 
those about to make his acquaintance would do well to know, 
is his invincible horror of black ties with evening dress. The 
sight of a man thus arrayed at any entertainment which he 
may happen to attend is sufficient to upset and to sour him 
for the entire evening, and in his eyes it is an unpardonable 
infraction of the laws of good taste and good form. 

The rural home at Sandrinorham of the Heir to the Throne 
of Britain lies in the warm sheltered hollow behind the range 
of low-wooded bluffs that line the southern margin of the 
Wash. From the low-lying station of Wolferton the road 
traversed by the visitors to Sandringham Hall gradually as- 
cends through a region, the natural bleakness and barrenness 
of which is slowly and reluctantly yielding before the per- 
sistent energy of taste and skill. Carefully tended young 
plantations of fir and birch stud the undulating expanse of 
scrub and heather, and the quaint rustic gables of the " Folly " 
peep out from the heart of a clump of sturdy evergreens, 
backed up by well-grown and vigorous young pines, by the 
edge of which the Princess's favorite drive wends away to the 
left through the bushy copses of the Josceline wood that 
mantles the indented crest and undulating summit of the up- 
land ridge, looming down over the intermediate low-lying 
fields, farmsteadings and plantations upon the broad bosom 



QUAINT SANDRINGHAM CHURCH. 3O7 

of the great estuary. Presently the heather gives place to 
greensward, and the pine thickets are succeeded by the mossy 
boles and spreading branches of fine ancestral oaks and 
beeches, which but partially screen the view of the wide- 
stretching expanse of the home park, where the deer are pas- 
turing in the glades, and the water, set in a cincture of lux- 
uriant evergreens, gleams mirror-like in still glassy pools, or 
sparkles and tumbles over the picturesque rockwork of red- 
dish brown. Close on the left rises the hoary square tower 
of the quaint little Sandringham Church, within whose walls 
Prince and peasant worship together in the modest God's acre, 
surrounding which rest side by side the mortal remains of the 
babe of the blood royal and the child of the peasant. 

There is a glimpse, over the sward and the water and the 
rockwork, of the long, picturesquely broken garden front of 
the Hall — a mere passing gleam of warm red, here and there, 
hidden in the loving embrace of the dark-green ivy; and 
then with a wide sweep the road turns the corner of the park, 
the beautiful " Norwich Gates," with their delicate ironwork 
tracery, are passed, and there remains but a short drive along 
a broad, straight avenue, lined on either side by massive old 
trees, to the principal entrance of the Hall. At a glance it is 
apparent that Sandringham is no stately palace where com- 
fort is a secondary consideration to splendor, where sumptu- 
ous suits of apartments bear the chilling impress of being un- 
inhabited and uninhabitable ; but a veritable English home, 
designed not for show, but to be lived in, every detail elo- 
quent of unostentatious taste and refined domesticity. The 
keynote to the theme of dulce domum (home, sweet home) is 
struck on the very threshold. In the- inner wall of the vesti- 
bule above the Hall door is set a tablet bearing the inscription. 



308 HOME-SAVOR OF SANDRINGHAM. 

in old English characters : " This house was built by Albert 
Edward, Prince of Wales, and Alexandra, his wife, in the year 
of our Lord 1870." The home-savor of Sandringham begins 
from the very door-step, for there is no formal entrance-hall. 
The vestibule is simply a part and portion of the great salon 
which may be called the family parlor of the house. This 
noble apartment has a lofty roof of open oakwork ; its walls 
are covered with pictures, and its area is almost encumbered 
with cosy chairs, occasional tables, pictures on easels, musi- 
cal instruments, flowers in stands, flowers in pots, flowers in 
vases, and a thousand and one pretty trifles, each one of 
which has an association and a history linked to it. Peering 
out from under the palm-fronds are two miniature cannon, 
which were a present from the late Emperor to the Royal 
children. Above Count Zichy's charming sketch in water 
colors, illustrative of the various phases of home-life -at Sand- 
ringham, is a large picture of the birthplace of the Princess. 
Over the fire-place is Borlasc's oil painting of the Prince and 
Princess, with two of their children. The King and Queen 
of Denmark look down from the walls on the scene of the 
afternoon romp of their English grandchildren. On one of 
the round tables stands the casket in which the Sandringham 
tenantry inclosed their address of congratulation on the 
Prince's safe return from India. Above the arch of the vesti- 
bule facing the main entrance is fixed the beautiful, fierce head 
of the Chillingham bull, shot by the Prince in 1872, with 
Scott's fervid lines underneath : 



" Fierce on the hunter's quivered band 
He rolls his eye of swarthy glow. 
Spurns with black hoof and horn the sand. 
And tosses high his mane of snow." 



ROYAL LIBRARY. 3O9 

From the salon opens the business room, occupied by Gen- 
eral Sir Dighton Probyn, V. C, the Controller of the Prince's 
household, and by Sir Francis Knollys, His Royal Highness's 
Private Secretary ; and in this room it is where the Prince 
transacts his correspondence, gives interview to other than 
social visitors, sees his tenants on questions of improvements 
— for His Royal Highness shirks none of the obligations of a 
landed proprietor — and gives his personal instructions to his 
land steward, gardener and head-keeper. 

A plain room, furnished in a plain and business-like style, 
this apartment has for its sole embellishment a few portraits, 
among which may be mentioned those of the late Admiral 
Rous and of Field Marshal Lord Napier, of Magdala. On 
the right of the vestibule, as one enters the house, lies the 
library ; a pleasant room in blue and light oak, the shelves of 
which are filled with books belonging almost exclusively to 
the departments of history and travels. A whole compart- 
ment is devoted to works on the Crimean War, another to 
books — many of which are hard reading enough — on India, 
both British and native. The " Greville Memoirs " are sand- 
wiched between the " Nelson Dispatches " and the " Narra- 
tive of the Euphrates Expedition," and the " Seven Weeks' 
War " is in close proximity to the " Rise of the Mahometan 
Power in India." Through the equerry's room, the next of 
the suit, is reached the second library, which might appro- 
priately bear the name of the " Serapis Room," for it is full 
of the belongings of His Royal Highness during his voyages 
in the big troop-ship, and the familiar feathers in gold between 
the initials " A. E." meet the eye everywhere. 

This room opens into the vestibule of the garden-entrance, 
which, by reason of its proximity to the drawing-rooms, is 



3IO CLOSE-KNIT DOMESTICITY. 

always used on ball nights. From the main corridor stretch- 
ing to the great staircase there open, on the right, the princi- 
pal reception rooms ; but before these are reached there is 
passed the Prince's private morning room, a family room, 
pure and simple. The admixture of feminine and masculine 
tastes, of which this pretty room is, more than others in the 
house, an exemplar, speaks eloquently of lives blended in an 
accord of close-knit domesticity. The walls of cool neutral 
tint are partly decorated with rare china and pottery, partly 
paneled with crayon pictures of deer-stalking episodes in the 
Highlands by the most celebrated English painters of our day. 

A large windowed projection, which is in part a lounge, in 
part a boudoir, and in part a writing-room, is half partitioned 
off from the rest of the room by a screen devoted, to the dis- 
play of family photographs. A truss of mignonette trees, 
with lilies of the valley blossoming around the bushy stem, 
half hides the panel on which Leighton's brush has depicted 
"The Bringing the Deer Home;" the spreading skin of a 
huge tiger, shot by the Prince in India, lies on a quilt-carpet 
of patchwork, which was a tribute of loving respect to the 
Princess from the children of one of the schools she finds 
time to foster with so much personal attention. 

From this room a door opens into the ante-room of the 
great drawing-room, a pretty little apartment in French grey, 
having for its chief ornament a large picture of the Emperor 
of Russia and the Prince driving together in a sledge, whose 
three horses, in a furious gallop, are fore-shortened with great 
skill and fine effect. 

The principal drawing-room, like all the rooms on this side 
of the house, looks out into the park, across the flower beds, 
water and rockery, to where the antlered deer are browsing 



IN THE CONSERVATORY. 3II 

in the beech-glades. It is a room of fine proportions, the walls 
of which are in a pale salmon color, and its fixed decorations 
are studiously simple, consisting merely of a few mirrors 
placed panelwise, some floral mouldings, a painted ceiling and 
a single group of statuary. Mme. Jerichau's ** Bathing Girls " 
embrace each other on a pedestal, from around the base of 
which flowers and blossoming exotic shrubs rear the glories 
of their bloom and the quieter hue of their foliage against the 
pale marble. The sweet scent of spring violets nestling 
among moss perfumes the air, and there are flowers every- 
where ; indeed the whole house is a floral bower, for the Prin- 
cess is passionately fond of flowers, and literally lives among 
them. A door-window of the drawing-room " gives " on a 
small domed conservatory projecting from the garden front 
of the house. Here the arched fronds of the palms form a 
sombre glory over the pedestal, upon which Jerichau's two 
white marble children press lip to lip within an encircling 
thicket of flowers, in which the orange of the euphorbia, the 
pale rose of the calanthe, the wax-like trusses of the white 
hyacinth, the gleaming scarlet of the poinsetia, the blushing 
purple of the primula, and the fair pale sweetness of the lily 
of the valley at once vie and blend with each other. En suite 
with the drawing-room is the dining-room, a warm-tinted, 
genial-looking room, suggestive of comfort in its every item. 
A great bow window expands from the centre of its front, 
whence the light streams in upon Landseer's " Mare and Foal " 
above the oaken side-board. Over the fire-place, where the 
logs are blazing on the wide open hearth, is a full-length por- 
trait of the Prince in the blue-and-ofold of the Tenth Hussars. 
" Unzer Fritz " and his Princess flank Landseer's chef-d' osuvre 
on either side, and life-size portraits of the Princesses Alice 



312 VIEW FROM THE DINING-ROOM, 

and Louisa hang on either side of the door opening from the 
drawing-room. 

From the dining-room the way leads through a " Corridor 
of Weapons," where the " white arms " of all ages are ar- 
ranged in glass-fronted cabinets on the walls, to the billiard- 
room. Here the walls are brightened by Leech's inimitable 
hunting sketches, and there are three-side windows, set in ivy, 
looking out on the Italian gardens on the site of the old fish- 
ponds, and so athwart the park of the church. The annexed 
smoking-room is the ante-chamber to the long vista of the 
bowling alley, lighted both from sides and roof, with raised 
seats at the upper end, whence ladies may look down on the 
tournament of their squires. Beyond the bowling alley is a 
little room over which Macdonald reigns supreme — the gun- 
room, in whose glass-fixed cupboards are arranged shooting- 
irons in bewildering number and variety. 

The chief adornment of the main staircase is a fine portrait 
in oils of the Princess in riding-dress. Immediately at the 
top of the stairs a door opens to the right of the school- 
room, a light, pleasant room, in which flowers and photo- 
graphs compete for elbow room with school books and story 
books. The impulse is to pause here in this sketchy descrip- 
tion of the interior of Sandringham Hall, lest the going 
further savor of intrusiveness. Yet it is hard to shun a refer- 
ence to that beautiful room on the same floor, with its pale 
salmon-colored and French-gray walls ; its pink and lace 
hangings round the deep bay of the bow window ; its medley 
of old China, photographs, water colors, dwarf palms, flowers ; 
its thousand and one pretty knick-knacks ; its singing birds ; 
and with the indescribable, yet felt, although unseen, presence 
of delicate and refined womanhood which pervades the whole 



PRINCESS BOUDOIR. 313 

of the exquisite chamber. This is the boudoir of the Princess 
— the room that so grew into the heart of Her Royal High- 
ness, because of early grateful memories associated with it, 
that when Sandringham Hall was rebuilt she made it her 
special stipulation that it should be reconstructed on " the 
ancient lines " in the minutest particular. No excuse is 
needed for an allusion to a room in the same corridor, be- 
cause of the deep historical interest which attaches to it. It 
is difficult, indeed, standing to-day in the big comfortable 
home-like chamber, whither, through the open door, comes 
the song of the linnets in the Princess' dressing-room; 
whither, through the open bay window in the great recess be- 
yond the crimson Priedieu on the further side of the bed, 
with its hangings of blue and white to correspond with the 
tapestry paper on the walls, is wafted on the breeze the fresh, 
briny scent of the sea — it is difficult to realize the scene to 
which these silent walls could bear witness ; the time when 
the Prince, on this same bed, battled for breath in the very 
straits of the dark valley, while his dearest kinsfolks were 
gathered around for the sad, solemn duty of bidding him a 
final farewell, while in the corridor hushed retainers wept for 
the imminent untimely fate of one not less loved than hon- 
ored, and while outside in the snow-slush grief-stricken labor- 
ing folk longed yet feared for tidings of their " master." Yet 
there in the ceiling above the bed is the mark of the orifice 
whence projected the hook supporting the trapeze cunningly 
devised by Bentley, and by the aid of which the Prince, when 
on the slow and weary road towards convalescence, was wont 
to change his recumbent position, or pull himself up into a 
sitting posture. 

During the shooting season the routine of Sandringham 
19 



314 THE SHOOTING SEASON. 

life has for variety little other than the change of scene and 
of sport. One day the battue may be Flitcham for partridge- 
driving ; the next may be dedicated to the pheasants of the 
Commodore and Dersingham Woods ; or the " hot corner " 
may be at the angle of Woodcock Wood, with the "Folly" 
as the luncheon rendezvous. The start is at 10.30, and, if 
there is any distance to be traversed, the gunners travel to 
the scene of their sport in the char-a-banc and wagonette. 
The Sandringham corps of beaters is forty strong, each mem- 
ber wearing a Norfolk smock-frock of brown fustian, with a 
number on a red badge. Luncheon is at two, served in a 
marquee in some convenient spot, and at this meal the Prin- 
cess, who drives to the trysting place her own four-in-hand 
team of pretty ponies, joins the gentlemen with the ladies 
who are her guests. During the afternoon shooting, which 
takes the homeward direction, the ladies walk, or ride on 
pony-back, with the guns. Afternoon tea, to which all the 
guests join in the saloon, is one of the great institutions of 
Sandringham home-life. M. Zichy has sketched the scene of 
charming informal domesticity with appreciative felicity. The 
Prince, tea cup in hand, stands with his back to the vestibule 
fire, one of his sons and a group of his male friends standing 
about him. The Princess is at the tea-table, with one of her 
daughters by her side and a number of guests of both sexes 
around the board. An adult gentleman with a mustache is 
obviously flirting with a young lady, over whose flaxen curls 
quite seven summers must have passed. From 6 to 7.30 the 
Prince addresses himself to correspondence and business in 
Sir Francis Knollys's room ; but indeed there is hardly an 
hour in the day which His Royal Highness devotes wholly to 
pleasure, for his land steward generally accompanies him in 



"bachelor's cottage. 315 

shooting excursions, at hand to note suggestions as to im- 
provements which may occur to the Prince as he tramps over 
the estate. It is reputed of the Prince in Norfolk that no 
landlord in the country is better acquainted with the details 
of his property, and with a greater zeal for its improvement. 
The dinner hour is 8 London time, 8.30 Sandringham time, 
for the Prince will have Sandringham time half an hour fast, 
the better to insure " taking time by the forelock." On the 
dinner table the chief decorations are flowers brought fresh 
every night from the region of glass and heated air. On the 
birthday of His Royal Highness, afternoon tea gives place to 
a visit to the stable-yard, in one of the coach-houses of which 
all the laborers on the estate, some two hundred in number, 
are entertained at a " square meal " of the most substantial 
character. On the night of the same day occurs the annual 
country ball ; while on the night of the Princess' birthday is 
given the annual tenants' ball, to which are bidden not alone 
the tenantry of the Sandringham estate but representative 
tenants from the various properties which the Prince has 
visited in his shooting expeditions. 

The Sunday is the most characteristic day of the week at 
Sandringham. After luncheon the whole house-party walk 
out past the "Bachelor's Cottage," which is now being or- 
ganized as a separate residence for the Duke of York, to the 
kennels. A flock of foreign goats immediately beset the 
Princess, wise in their generation and in the full expectancy 
of tid-bits. There is a leisurely stroll through the pheasantry 
and along the snugly sheltered cages in which are housed the 
Nepaulese birds which were one of Sir Jung Bahadoor's 
gifts. The bear-pit looked down into, and the bears coaxed 
to climb the pole, the dogs claim attention. The noble Hima- 



31 6 VISIT TO THE FARM-YARD. 

layan deerhounds are clamorous for liberation, and effusively 
grateful when that has been accorded — a boon which Her 
Royal Highness may extend to the shaggy Scotch terriers 
which have greeted her so noisily. The monkey-house can- 
not be passed over ; and then the party, with multitudinous 
dogs as eclair eurs, stroll away to the gardens. New Indian 
plants developing unexpected characteristics; cacti from 
Rangoon flourishing like green bay trees, and rare flora from 
South America putting forth quaintly beautiful blossoms. 
From the hot-houses and gardens the pleasant peregrination 
is pursued to the farm-yard, where there is quite as great an 
embarras de richesse in the way of things that ought to be seen 
and are seen, as in the kennels or the gardens, and where 
everything is as clean as a new pin. The big cross and the 
two dainty Devons that are in feeding for next year's Smith- 
field Club show are paraded and criticised; the pretty 
Alderney calves find admirers and connoisseurs among the 
ladies; and cart-horse stalls are found in the occupation of 
shaggy Heratee ponies, and of the team of pretty Corsicans 
which, with their miniature drag, were the Prince's parting 
present to the Princess on the day he left Sandringham for 
his Indian tour. 

From the Indian bullocks in the paddock it is but a step to 
the sheep-house, where the Southdowns are feeding for win- 
ning some more prizes, the certificates of which adorn the 
rafters of their snug abode. While the gentlemen are tramp- 
ing it over the grass-land to the site of the new works which 
are presently to supply virgin spring water to the hall and its 
dependencies, the Princess is showing to her lady guests her 
dainty dairy, with the exquisite little tea-room attached, whose 
panels are gradually filled up with votive decorative tiles. 





Mj-^^ 




LABORING FOLK IN THE PARISH. 317 

There is no lack of occupation for days not devoted to 
sport. The laboring folk in Sandringham Parish have been 
all comfortably housed in model cottages, the reformation 
of the cottage architecture and accommodation of the Parish 
of Wolferton — an out-lying portion of the estate — has been 
steadily improved under the personal supervision of the 
Princess herself, who sets her face determinedly against defec- 
tive and unpicturesque homes for her laboring people. At a 
farm in his own hands in Wolferton Parish, the Prince has 
some fine pedigree short-horn stock, and is gradually rearing 
a herd whose influence must benefit his neighbors without the 
expenditure of sensational prices for the fancy of a particu- 
lar strain. Sandringham is the chosen rural home of their 
Royal Highnesses ; they have watched it grow into beauty as 
their children grow up around their own hearth. It is en- 
deared to them as the scene of much sweet serene happi- 
ness and also of some great sorrows, and in Sandringham it 
is given to them — nor do they forego the opportunity — to do 
much gfood in this place they love so. well. 



FESTIVITIES 

OF THE 

DIAMOND JUBILEE. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

WITH all the pomp and splendor possible to concen- 
trate in one grand pageant, the diamond jubilee 
week of Queen Victoria's reign was inaugurated in London on 
Sunday, June 20th. The whole world looked on with interest, 
and Britishers, with an enthusiasm unknown in the past, pre- 
pared for an event that had had no parallel in the history of 
their empire, if, indeed, it had in the whole story of nations. 

The event surpassed in gigantic magnificence the corona- 
tion of the Czar, and the general interest in the sixtieth 
anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne attracted 
a far wider interest than did the splendid feast within the 
precincts of ancient Moscow. 

Queen Victoria began the celebration of her jubilee as was 
befitting her entire career — before the altar of her faith, 
while throughout London, the United Kingdom, and the 
Empire, in every cathedral, church, or chapel of the Estab- 
lished Church of England, were l^ld services similar to those 
at St. George's Chapel, Windsor, where her Majesty paid 
her devotions and offered solemn thanksgiving. 

The annoucement that the services at St. George's Chapel 
would be private and for the members of the royal family 
prevented the gathering of a large crowd. The scene was 
most impressive and the service very simple. Her Majesty 
sat in the chair of state, immediately in front of the com- 

318 



AT ST. GEORGES CHAPEL. 3I9 

munion rail, and just beside the brass plate whose inscription 
designates the spot which was the temporary place of inter- 
ment of the Prince Consort. 

The ladies and gentlemen who are the grand officers of 
the Queen's household entered first, followed by the Military 
Knights of Windsor, in the full costume of cocked hats and 
scarlet coats. The Duke of Devonshire and Lord Rosebery 
occupied their stalls as Knights of the Garter. The rest of 
the choir was empty, the seats of the royal family being near 
the Queen's. The Dean of Westminster, wearing the in- 
signia of Chaplain of the Order of the Garter, officiated, 
assisted by the Lord Bishop of Barry and several canons. 

Punctually at eleven o'clock, amid the soft strains of an 
organ voluntary, the Queen arrived from the cloisters at the 
entrance. Assisted by her Indian attendant, she walked 
slowly to the chair of state, the congregation standing. She 
was dressed all in black, except for a white tuft in her bonnet. 
The Empress Frederick of Germany, attired in deep black, 
took the seat at the right of the Queen, while the Duke of 
Connaught, wearing his Windsor uniform, seated himself at 
her left. The others grouped themselves closely behind, and 
looked very like a simple family of worshipers. Among them 
were the Duchess of Connaught, Prince Henry of Prussia, 
and the Princess Henry, Prince Christian and Princess Chris- 
tian, with their children, Princess Henry of Battenberg, the 
Grand Duke Sergius, and the Grand Duchess. 

After the first Collect a special Collect was read, and in- 
stead of the usual prayer for the Queen and royal family this 
special prayer was substituted : 

"Almighty God, who rulest over all the kingdoms of the 
world and disposeth of them according to Thy good pleasure, 



320 THE JUBILEE HYMN. 

we yield Thee unfeigned thanks for that Thou wast pleased 
to place Thy servant, our sovereign lady, Queen Victoria, 
upon the throne of this realm. Let Thy wisdom be her guide 
and let Thine arm strengthen her; let justice, truth, and 
holiness, let peace and love flourish in her days. Direct all 
her counsels and endeavors to Thy glory and the welfare of 
her people, and give us grace to obey her cheerfully for con- 
science. Let her always possess the hearts of her people ; 
let her reign be long and prosperous and crown her with im- 
mortality in the life to come." 

A special prayer for unity was said, and there were special 
psalms and gospels used instead of those for the day, the 
gospel being the sixteenth verse of the twenty-second chapter 
of St. Matthew: "Render, therefore, unto Caesar the things 
which are Caesar's." 

There was no sermon, but a hymn, written by the Right 
Rev. William Walsham, Lord Bishop of Wakefield, with 
music by Sir Arthur Sullivan, was sung at her Majesty's 
request. The third verse was as follows : 

O, royal heart, with wide embrace, 

For all her children yearning ; 
O, happy realm, such mother grace 

With loyal love returning. 
Where England's flag flies wide unfurled, 

All tyrant wrongs repelling , " 
God make the world a better world 

For man's brief earthly dwelling. 

Before the benediction the following special thanksgiving 
was offered : 

"O Lord, our Heavenly Father, we give Thee hearty 



A TOUCHING SCENE. 321 

thanks for the many blessings which Thou hast bestowed 
upon us during the sixty years of happy reign of our gra- 
cious Queen Victoria. We thank Thee for progress made 
in knowledge of Thy marvelous works, for increase of com- 
fort given to human life, for kindlier feeling between rich and 
poor, for wonderful preaching of the Gospel to many na- j 
tions, and we pray Thee that these and all Thy other gifts j 
may be long continued to us and to our Queen, to the glory 
of Thy holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen." 

The choir of St. George's Chapel rendered the musical 
portion of the service. Sir Walter Parratt presiding at the 
organ. The service lasted forty minutes, the Queen remain- 
ing seated throughout, and following closely the special 
prayers and hymn. 

At the end there was a pause. The Queen, with bowed 
head, continued in silent prayer. Then followed a touching 
scene, which will ever linger in the memory of those who 
witnessed it. Summoning the Empress Frederick, who 
bowed low at her side, the Queen kissed her on both cheeks. 
The Duke of Connaught and the others of the family fol- 
lowed, receiving a similar token of affection on bended knees. 
In many cases the recipient was kissed several times. 

The Queen was profoundly moved, and the tears rolled 
down her cheeks. At last, and evidently with great re- 
luctance, she beckoned her Indian attendant, and, leaning on 
his arm, passed slowly out of the chapel. ^ 

The entire congregation stood, the soft light falling through 
the multi-colored windows, and the exquisite strains of the 
organ rising and swelling beneath the Gothic banded roof. 
It was a scene never to be forgotten, and thrilled all present 
with strong emotions. 



322 SERVICES AT ST. PAULS. 

In St. George's Chapel, Windsor, in the afternoon a special 
musical service was held, at which most of the members of 
the royal family who had attended the morning service, 
except the Qaeen and the Empress Frederick, were present. 
Mendelssohn's " Hymn of Praise " was superbly sung by 
Mme. Albani, Edward Lloyd, and choir of the chapel, assisted 
by the Windsor and Eton Choral and Madrigal Societies. 
Sir Walter Parratt played the organ and conducted her 
Majesty's private band. 

Several of the leading pulpits of the city were occupied 
by American preachers, all of whom alluded in the most 
feeling terms to the Queen's life and character. 

There were two services at St. Paul's Cathedral, at eleven 
A. M. and at three p. m. Immense crowds filled all the ap- 
proaches to the Cathedral at the morning service, anxious to 
catch a glimpse of the royalties and distinguished personages 
who were announced to be present, including all the Protes- 
tant envoys. The first to arrive and to be recognized with 
the greatest interest were the Archbishop of Finland, in 
purple and black vestments, accompanied by two deacons, 
and General Kierreef, in full uniform. Then followed Chang 
Ying Huan, the Chinese envoy, in gorgeous Celestial gar- 
ments. He was escorted to the choir, where were seated 
also the envoys of the United States, Russia, Holland, Den- 
mark, Sweden, Brazil, and Hawaii. 

Under the dome and behind the richly crimsoned royal 
pews were the peers and peeresses in full robes, the foreign 
envoys and five colonial Premiers with their families. 

Just before eleven o'clock the Archbishop of Canterbury, 
the Bishop of London, and the Dean of the Cathedral, with 
the Cathedral clergy and choir, proceeded to the west door 



ROYAL FAMILY ARRIVES. 323 

to receive the members of the royal family. The aisle was 
lined with a guard of honor, consisting of the medical staff 
corps, in view of the fact that it was Hospital Sunday. 

The members of the royal family arrived punctually and 
were received, as they drove through the streets to the 
Cathedral, with the profoundest respect. Among them were 
the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of 
York, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke and Duchess of 
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Prince Charles of Denmark and the 
Princess Charles, Prince Albert of Prussia, the Grand Duke 
and Duchess of Hesse, the Grand Duke Cyril of Russia, 
Prince Waldemar of Denmark, Prince Eugene of Sweden, 
the Grand Duke of Luxemburg, and the Prince and Princess 
Frederick Charles of Hesse. 

Preceded by the clergy and amid the strains of the pro- 
cessional hymn : 

O King of Kings ! 

Whose reign of old 

Hath been from everlasting, 

they proceeded to their seats. The service was conducted 
by the Lord Bishop of London, and the celebrated Cathedral 
choir of 1 50 male voices, assisted by an orchestra of 1 50 
from Covent Garden Opera House and several of the prin- 
cipal theatres, rendered the musical portions. The form ot 
service was the same as at St. George's Chapel, and was par- 
ticipated in by the vast congregation with evident feeling. 
To the invocation of the priest, " Send her help from Thy 
Holy Place," came the deep response of the kneeling multi- 
tude, " And evermore mightily defend her," while in impressive 



3^4 AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 

unison came the "Amen," following the priest's words, " Let 
her reign be long and prosperous, and crown her with 
immortality in the life to come." 

Holy Communion was celebrated and the sermon was 
preached by the Lord Bishop of London, who touched upon 
many of the events in the reign of Victoria and eloquently 
extolled her piety, charity, and motherly love for her people. 

The national paean of praise and thanksgiving found offi- 
cial expression at Westminster Abbey and at St. Margaret's, 
Westminster. 

At the Abbey Dean Bradley officiated before an immense 
congregation. 

In the congregation were upward of fifty peers, without the 
robes of the peerage, among them the Marquis of Lansdowne, 
the Duke of Portland, Earl Spencer, Earl Cadogan, Lord 
Frederick Roberts, and Lord Lyon Playfair. The royal 
family was represented by the Duchess of Albany and her 
children and the hereditary Prince and Princess of Saxe- 
Meiningen. There was a large contingent of foreign titled 
people, with a sprinkling of Indian magnates in striking cos- 
tumes. The venerable Dean was assisted by the Lord Bishop 
of Durham and the Abbey clergy and choir. During the im- 
pressive procession from the west door the organ was re- 
inforced by trumpets and drums, and at the end of the anthem 
for the day the national anthem was sung with immense 
feeling. 

This was the strangest Sunday ever known in London. 
The route that was to be traversed by the royal procession 
resembled a huge fair. Carriages from the West End, bear- 
ing titled persons and leaders of fashion, found themselves 
sandwiched between milk-carts, fish-carts, donkey barrows, 



SUNDAY IN LONDON. 325 

and brewers' vans, all packed with the families of their 
owners or drivers, who were singing and joking. On the side- 
walks there was a similar condition of affairs. Clubmen 
elbowed navvies and factory girls, and everywhere the utmost 
good nature was displayed. Here and there could be seen 
an Oriental turban or the uniform of a colonial trooper. 
Hyde Park was studded with the tents of military detach- 
ments which were to take part in the procession. 

The streets had not been empty since dawn. Groups 
of people sauntered through the thoroughfares all night 
long, singing and otherwise enjoying themselves. The 
costers were reaping what to them was a bountiful harvest. 
They were selling barrowfuls of oranges, ginger beer, and 
cakes to holiday-makers from the East End who were camp- 
ing out in the West End streets. These people did not 
intend to go to work or return to their homes until after the 
jubilee. A police regulation permitted saloons to remain 
open until three o'clock in the morning, a boon that was 
appreciated by the thousands who were out after midnight, 
the usual closing hour. 

All Europe joined in the universal homage. In nearly 
every large city thanksgiving services were held in the local 
English churches. 

The newspapers in many cities, especially Vienna and St. 
Petersburg, published long eulogistic articles upon the Victor- 
ian reign. 

At Constantinople the Sultan sent a number of high Otto- 
man officials to represent him at the service, and the entire 
diplomatic corps was present. A guard of English blue 
jackets was drawn up along the main approach to the chapel. 

In Canada the diamond jubilee celebration was begun by 



326 AMERICA PAYS HOMAGE. 

Special services in all the churches. The Montreal Brigade 
and the Fifty-third Battalion of Sherbrooke ; the Governor 
General's Foot Guards of Ottowa, and the Fifty-seventh 
Battalion of Peterboro, held a church parade to Christ 
Church Cathedral, to St. James' (Roman Catholic) Cathedral 
and to St. Paul's Church. Over 3,000 troops took part, the 
streets being crowded to see the pageant. 

The " Te Deum " at Notre Dame Church was very impres- 
sive, and a grand musical ceremony. Over 15,000 persons 
were present. Monsignor del Val, the Papal delegate, occu- 
pied the throne and delivered an address on the Queen's 
reign. He also offered a special prayer for the Queen. 

Lord Aberdeen, Governor General and Lieutenant Gov- 
ernor of Quebec, Sir Adolphe Chapleau, occupied seats in 
the church. 

In the United States there were numerous demonstrations 
of a quiet character ; notable among these was the service 
held on Sunday afternoon, June 20th, in Old Trinity Church, 
New York City. It was the day appointed by the Church of 
England for the religious commemoration of the sixtieth 
anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne, and 
the St. George Society and the St. Andrew's Society had 
been allowed to use the church for their services. 

Old Trinity's pulpit was draped with the British Royal 
Standard and the chancel rails hidden by the Union Jack 
and the Stars and Stripes; the mighty organ rolled out 
"God Save the Queen," while hundreds of tongues framed 
the words. 

The sermon was preached by the Rev. Dr. D. Parker 
Morgan, rector of the Church of the Heavenly Rest, who is 
chaplain of the Societies of St. George and St. David. 



LEAVES WINDSOR CASTLE. 327 

In concluding Dr. Morgan said : 

" We would sum up our grounds of gratitude on this six- 
tieth anniversary of her Majesty's accession to the throne of 
Great Britain in the words of a citizen of this Republic : 
' Victoria, the Queen of England, the Empress of India and 
the Woman of the World.' " 

Amid an unprecedented display of enthusiasm Queen Vic- 
toria arrived in the capital of the empire on Monday, and the 
royal standard floated from Buckingham Palace, while the 
streets were filled with cheering people, looking forward with 
redoubled anticipations to the great parade of the morrow. 

Queen Victoria left Windsor Castle at noon by the Sov- 
ereign's entrance, facing the long walk, and traversed part of 
the Thames streets of Windsor on her way to the railroad 
station. Her Majesty's carriage was drawn by a pair of 
grays, with postillions and outriders. 

The Queen was accompanied by her eldest daughter, ex- 
Empress Frederick of Germany, and by Princess Christian 
of Schleswig-Holstein, Princess Henry of Battenburg, who 
occupied another carriage, preceding that of her Majesty. 

The short route leading from the castle to the railway sta- 
tion was lined by a mass of people. Flags and flowers were 
everywhere, and the order of the day, " God Save the Queen," 
appeared on houses and banners without end. 

The railway station was beautifully decorated In scarlet 
and gold, flowers in bloom and artistic palms. The Queen 
was received by the directors of the railway and walked 
through the private waiting room leaning on the arm of an 
Indian attendant, entering her saloon carriage by a sloping 
gangway. 

" The Queen's Train " — used for the first time to-day— 



328 "THE queen's TRAIN." 

consisted of six cars built on the American vestibule plan. 
The engine, " Queen Empress," beautifully painted and 
picked out with gold leaf, carried the royal arms emblazoned 
in gold and colors in front and royal heraldic devices over 
the splashboards of the driving wheels. 

The Queen's carriage, which is fifty-four feet long, was in 
the centre of the train. It is painted chocolate, with cream 
panels. The headings are in gold and the door handles, with 
their molded lions' heads, are gold plated. The doors are 
emblazoned with the Royal Arms. The running gear is 
encased in mahogany with a carved lion's head at each 
corner, above which is a gilded Imperial crown. 

The interior is divided into three compartments — the 
centre, the Queen's room, and at one end an open saloon 
for her Majesty's maids, at the other an open saloon for the 
gentlemen in attendance. The Queen's room has plate- 
glass bow-windows and a domed roof, the ceiling of which is 
white enamel with hand-painted borders. The curtains and 
upholstering are in white silk rep. The door handles, cur- 
tain poles, and incandescent lamps are silver plated. 

The woodwork is mahogany and the outor doors are 
carved with the royal arms. Near the windows is the 
Queen's favorite swinging armchair and sofa. A small fold- 
ing writing table, on which is an ivory electric bell, completes 
the furniture of the apartment. 

The start from London was made at 12.10 A. m., and for 
almost the entire distance the train passed between scattered 
groups of loyal people. Every station of the railroad between 
Windsor and Paddington was decorated. The railway em- 
ployees everywhere stood at the salute, while the platforms 
were crowded with cheering people. 



"god bless our queen." 329 

Paddington was reached at 12.30. The immense terminus 
had been transformed into a hall of resplendent crimson, gar- 
landed with fringe gold and fragrant with the odors of count- 
less blossoms. 

A loyal address was presented by Rev. Walter Abbott, 
Vicar of Paddington, and the Queen handed back a written 
reply, expressing gratification at the generous instincts of her 
people toward the poor, aged, sick, and young. The late 
Prince Consort, like herself, manifested great interest in 
charitable institutions, and her children shared that feeling, 
which formed not the weakest tie between herself and her 
people. 

The passageway to the street was lined by the Eighteenth 
Middlesex Regiment, which also provided the guard of honor 
which surrounded the State carriage. The route to Buck- 
ingham Palace was via Oxford and Cambridge Terrace, 
Grand Junction Roads and Edgeware Road to the Marble 
Arch, thence by Hyde Park and Constitution Hill. 

Every house was superbly decorated with flags, flowers, 
bariners, and festoons, and endless mottoes. A handsome 
triumphal arch had been erected by the Paddington vestry. 
It was a castellated structure in imitation of graystone, cov- 
ered with ivy. It bore the motto: "Thy hearts are our 
throne." A second arch was at the bottom of the Edgeware 
Road. It was covered with crimson cloth, flowers, and flags, 
and bore the motto : " God Bless Our Queen." 

The route throughout was tenanted by an immense assem- 
blage. Every window had its occupants, and every roof its 
sightseers. Every available space in the streets and squares 
were black with loyal humanity. 

The Queen drove slowly to gratify her people. Volleys 
20 



330 PROFUSION OF DECORATIONS. 

of cheers rose clearly above the constant roar of acclama- 
tion. Hats were thrown in the air and handkerchiefs were 
waved wildly in welcome. 

Nearing Piccadilly, the Queen saw for the first time the 
conspicuous evidence of what had been prepared for the 
morrow. The grim, gray walls of Apsley House were cov- 
ered with a profusion of decoration. The grand stand at the 
side and front, adorned with flowers, flags, and mottoes, was 
crowded with the Queen's nobility, no less exuberant in their 
welcome than the Queen's commoners, in front of St. George's 
Hospital. 

Next to Paddington, the crowds selected Buckingham 
Palace as the most interesting point to view proceedings. 
The gathering of envoys and their suites and the Indian 
officers began at noon, and many were the speculations rela- 
tive to the identity of the bejeweled officers as they drove up 
in royal carriages or smart hansoms. 

The police were kept busy attending to fainting women, 
but the crowds were in the best of humor, and chaffed every 
one. 

A number of Americans, armed with cameras, had stationed 
themselves opposite the palace gate. Somebody in the crowd 
shouted : " Now, Yanks, three cheers for your mother," rais- 
ing a roar of good-humored laughter. 

On the right of the palace gateway the Duchess of Con- 
naught and her children and some of the Battenbergs awaited 
the arrival of her Majesty. 

A few minutes before one o'clock a hoarse roar of cheering 
in the distance announced the approach of the Queen. The 
cheering grew in strength until It culminated in a deafening 
storm of applause as the sovereign drew near the palace. 



RECEIVES THE SPECIAL ENVOYS. 33 1 

The Queen bowed slowly, right and left, to the loyal greet- 
ings of her subjects. She looked pleased, did not wear 
spectacles, and appeared no more tired than any woman of 
her age might be expected to be. 

As soon as the carriage entered the palace yard it passed 
direct to the quadrangle. Princess Henry of Battenberg 
waved her hand as she passed to her children, who, with the 
Duchess of Connaught, saluted her Majesty, and caused an 
enthusiastic renewal of the cheering and waving of handker- 
chiefs. 

The Queen proceeded at once to her private apartments 
for luncheon, and the royal and other guests had luncheon 
in the State supper room. Levee dress was worn. 

Queen Victoria received the formal congratulations of the 
special envoys of other nations and the imperial envoys in 
the Bow Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace at 4 o'clock. 

Conspicuous among the special embassies was that of the 
United States, comprising Whitelaw Reid, of New York, the 
special envoy ; General Nelson A. Miles, and Rear Admiral 
J. N. Miller. Envoy Reid was third on the list to be re- 
ceived, only the representatives of France and Spain preced- 
ing him. 

The envoys were conducted to her Majesty's presence by 
the Queen's master of ceremonies and were introduced by 
the Marquis of Salisbury. 

The Queen was dressed in black, wore a widow's cap and 
the ribbon of the Order of the Garter. She sat in a gilded 
chair near the centre of the room. The Prince of Wales 
stood immediately behind her. At her right hand was the 
Princess of Wales, while others of the royal family were near 
her Majesty or about the room. 



332 PRESIDENT McKINLEY S LETTER. 

The Queen in each case took the letter and smilingly ad- 
dressed two or three sentences of thanks and compliments 
to each envoy. 

The following is the personal letter from President 
McKinley to Queen Victoria: 

" To Her Majesty, Victoria^ Queen of Great Britain and Ire- 
land and Empress of India: 

" Great and Good Friend : — In the name and on behalf 
of the people of the United States, I present their sincere 
felicitations upon the sixtieth anniversary of your Majesty's 
accession to the throne of Great Britain. 

" I express the sentiments of my fellow-citizens in wishing 
for your people the prolongation of a reign, illustrious and 
marked by advance in science, arts, and popular well-being. 

" On behalf of my countrymen, I wish particularly to recog- 
nize your friendship for the United States and your love of 
peace exemplified upon important occasions. 

" It is pleasing to acknowledge the debt of gratitude and 
respect due to your personal virtues. May your life be pro- 
longed and peace, honor, and prosperity bless the people 
over whom you have been called to rule. 

" May liberty flourish throughout your Empire under just 
and equal laws and your Government continue strong in the 
affections of all who live under it. 

"And I pray God to have your Majesty In His holy keeplngf 

"Done at Washington, this 28th day of May, A. D. 1897. 
" Your good friend, 

"William McKinley. 

" By the President, 

" John Sherman, 

^^ Secretary of Stated 



L 


9 


5 


■ ■■'- ;- ' > -' ii - 


2. 


% 4 ^''. "' 



Right Hon. John Beight, M. P. 





Cardinal Newman. 



A ROYAL DINNER PARTY. 335 

Mr. Reld was received In the most cordial manner possible. 
Her Majesty expressed her sincere thanks to President 
McKinley and to "the great nation of our kinsmen." 

After her Majesty had received the special envoys, she re- 
ceived a host of Indian princes, who were introduced by Lord 
George Hamilton, Secretary of State for India. 

Queen Victoria looked very well indeed and seemed to be 
thoroughly pleased and interested in everything. She im- 
pressed all the envoys with the sincerity of her thanks for the 
national compliments paid to her. 

After the reception most of the envoys were escorted to a 
marquee in the garden where lunch was served. 

In the evening the Queen entertained at dinner ninety of 
her most distinguished guests in the state supper room at 
Buckingham Palace. 

Among those present were the Prince and Princess of 
Wales, with all the members of the royal family, the royal 
guests, the envoys of States with the rank of Ambassadors, 
and the great officers of the household, who wore full court 
dress. 

During the banquet music was discoursed by the band of 
the Royal Engineers. The suites of the envoys and the 
ladies and gentlemen in attendance dined in the garden vesti- 
bule ; the Yeomen of the Guard on duty, in the grand hall 
and vestibule. 

The spacious supper room was a fairy sight — exquisite 
costumes, diamonds, and countless gems, the most brilliant 
of uniforms, stars, orders, and crosses without end ; the royal 
liveries, the table, and buffet, loaded with Dresden china, and 
the famous gold plate, the value of which runs into millions. 

After dinner the Queen proceeded from the grand salon to 



336 OVERCROWDED LONDON. 

the ball-room to receive her guests — the envoys, and their 
suites, the Indian princes, the officers of the imperial forces, 
and of the native Indian escorts, and the officers of the 
Queen's German regiment. 

The colonial premiers, with their wives, were presented to 
her Majesty by Mr. Chamberlain, Secretary of State for the 
Colonies, and the suites of royal and other guests were pre- 
sented severally by their chiefs. The great officers of state 
attended in full court dress. 

Mesdames Whitelaw Reid, Nelson A. Miles, and Ogden 
Mills were presented by the Queen's special command. 

But amid all this display and homage in the immediate 
presence of the Queen, there was another feature worthy of 
note. After all the greatest thing was the multitude of peo- 
ple, one solid eight-mile-long multitude, marching slowly 
forty and fifty abreast and back to breast. 

The big town was so crowded that the very atmosphere 
was charged with perspiration and fumes of Scotch whisky, 
and the crowds were full of happy drunkards. Such unheard- 
of multitudes, the largest ever gathered in the world's his- 
tory, literally magnetized the air, and each individual felt as 
one does in the midst of a grand electrical disturbance. 

There was an addition of 4,000,000 visitors to London's 
5,000,000 population. That sounded the distinctive note of 
the spectacle. It was not the silly tawdry of jumbled flags 
and paper flowers, not the presence of the great variety of 
gayly costumed soldiers, not the constant movement of royal 
princes and princesses through the streets. The main thing, 
the sole thing of prime consideration, was the fearful seeth- 
ing, roaring, singing, surging mass of millions of men and 
women outdoors. It was said there was not a single house- 



tHE STREET DECORATIONS. 337 

hold in London but what was swelled by the arrival of all the 
relatives and connections from the farthest corners of the 
kingdom and from foreign climes. 

The street decorations were elaborate, if not artistic, the 
whole route was draped with colored cloths or swathed in 
flags, flowers, evergreens, and bunting. Not a single instance 
of any bare boards was to be seen. 

The general plan was to sheathe the front and seats with 
red, purple or white cloth, and the effect was to throw a great 
shapely mass of color against the dull background of houses. 
In this way half the front of St. Paul's was a gay splotch of 
red. So was half the front of the Duke of Wellington's 
house and the whole front of the Duke of Devonshire's 
walled mansion on Piccadilly. 

The next prettiest things were the new fashion of building 
scaffolds to cover whole facades of buildings and balconies. 
Each store and whole structures were covered with gaudy 
cloth or plain white cloth relieved by bunches of flags or fes- 
toons of flowers. 

The most costly and elaborate decoration of private houses 
in the West End was by the old Baroness Burdett-Coutts, 
who put up a false front of massive gold columns connected 
by heavy drapery of royal purple fringed with solid gold. 
Pall Mall and St. James Street, where there are so many 
great club-houses, was each a vast mass of gay color, very 
elaborate and costly. 

The Daily Telegraph, all immaculate in white like a bride, 
was the best building on Fleet Street, and in the heart of the 
city the Bank of England and the Mansion House were 
treated with elaborate schemes of gay cloth, gold devices, and 
myriads of electric lights. Five hundred pounds were spent 



338 VERY INARTISTIC. 

on the Mansion House by the corporation of the city, but that 
was a mere bagatelle compared with what the Lord Mayor 
Faudel-Phillips spent in dinners, luncheons, and receptions 
during the jubilee fortnight. The bridge, trimmed quietly 
with posts connected by loops of evergreen and bunches of 
paper flowers and thousands of lamps was very pretty. 

Fleet Street and the Strand looked quite well, and Piccadilly 
was strung with poles capped by a mass of jigsaw work from 
which many gilded lamps or candle-holders dangled in the 
wind. 

In an article upon the Jubilee decorations the Chronicle 
observed " that English festivals were not treated artistically. 
They grow up and develop gradually by the spontaneous 
work of the people. This is literally true of the present 
occasion. Street decorations develop little by little ; each 
vestry, each citizen, exercising their own taste and each con- 
tribution jarring on its neighbor. 

"To see the hideous red posts, each with a bit of bamboo 
lattice and an elephant and palm-leaf fan set along the streets 
of the little old city makes one marvel just how shabby must 
have been the famed English outdoor spectacles of old Lon- 
don." 

But, inartistic as they were, they expressed a feeling of loy- 
alty and kindliness, and so fulfilled their mission. 



GREAT DAY OF 

THE 

DIAMOND JUBILEE. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

THE last stroke of twelve had not died away on the mid- 
night air when from a hundred metropolitan steeples 
a tumultuous peal of bells announced the dawn of diamond 
jubilee day. The vast crowd that filled the miles of streets 
and squares answered with ringing cheers, and here and 
there the singing of " God Save the Queen." 

The crowds that peopled the streets and squares all night 
in the hope of a good view of the procession were 
amazing in their patience. Waiting for twelve, fourteen, and 
sixteen hours, as many of these people did, was a feat of 
endurance that could only be sustained by some overmaster- 
ing desire. At 3 o'clock in the morning the whole route of 
the procession was as crowded with noisy people as ever was 
the Strand or Piccadilly at noon of a busy day. 

Fully half of these jubilee waiters were women, many 
with the pale, careworn look of the London worker, yet all 
enduring the tedious waiting with utmost good nature. 
Some had campstools, some sat on projections of buildings 
or curbstones or leaned in doorways, and the angles made 
by stands. Men, women, children and mothers, fathers 
and babies in arms sank upon the pavements and stoops in 
the side streets to sleep away the fatigue and excitement. 

During the long hours snatches of song and occasional 
bursts of cheering showed that the people were determined 
to enjoy the festival of patriotism and loyalty to the utmost. 

339 



340 FIRST SIGNS OF ACTIVITY. 

A clear starlit sky and cool air kept up the spirits of the 
crowd throughout the vigil. With dawn the hope of Queen's 
weather merged into certainty, and the world here prepared 
in confidence for a day of pleasure. 

When the sun was high in the heavens and 7 o'clock about 
to strike, policemen shook even the heaviest sleepers into 
perpendicular positions, putting women and children close to 
the curbs, men behind them, and managing the cross and tired 
mob as kindly fathers ought to govern so many children. 

The earliest active indication of the great event — apart 
from the people awaiting it — was the arrival of vestry carts 
to freshly gravel the roadways, after the fashion which pre- 
vailed in the good old days of Sam Pepys. A little later the 
police began to arrive in great numbers, 8,000 being dis- 
tributed along the line of route. 

The streets on the north side of the Thames were closed 
to ordinary vehicles at 7.30, and on the south side at 8 ; 
London Bridge had been closed to all traffic at midnight and 
Westminster Bridge and other bridges between at 5 a. m., 
when all persons were removed from them. 

Only a few streets a mile apart were left open for pedes- 
trians. Along the line of march at such points the police 
received early comers and again gave the best places to the 
women and kept the men back against the houses. 

By 8 o'clock came stylish ladies, superbly dressed men, 
bearing huge souvenir tickets, seeking places in the stands 
and house windows. Presently the multitude was seen to be 
distinctly divided, the rich and well-dressed parading the 
roadway to get to their seats ; the poor and shabby folk 
pressed in line on the pavements, looking at what was going 
on with an awakening interest. 



THE CROWDS GATHER. 34I 

For once In the world's history favorites of fortune seemed 
to outnumber the poor, but however fast came the swarms 
in silk and feathers, and broadcloths, enormous stands and 
gaping windows swallowed them and they disappeared. 

By nine o'clock, when the last of the privileged rich came 
in, a thin and broken stream of soldiers began to arrive from 
every direction and stretch their red bodies in line on either 
side of the street, their backs to the tired, patient concourse 
of the poor, prepared to keep the street clear and separate 
the coming procession from its spectators. 

Then came trained nurses in swarms, by hundreds, all in 
purple, edged with white and with them men of the Red 
Cross, laying stretchers in a most alarmingly suggestive 
fashion in gutters behind the red coats. Presently down at 
St. Paul's came ever so many clergymen, black as crows, ex- 
cept one, the testy Archbishop of Canterbury in flaming, 
flowing red, leaning out of the carriage door, directing the 
driver in a petulant voice. 

When the clergy were tucked away on the red terrace 
seats in front of the cathedral, a collection of fragments of 
the glorious procession began to straggle to and fro in an 
endeavor to find their places and connect themselves with 
the main body. 

Now it would be a pair of Indian princes, encrusted with 
gold and jewels. Next, three or four army officers, red as 
the Union Jack, riding pell-mell, and after these strange men 
in Australian butternut suits and broad-brimmed hats, or 
pig-tailed Chinamen trotting on foot after a mounted 
officer, or a gloriously bedizened General and staff cantering 
lazily by. 

These gay tatters of cloth of gold that were to be woven 



342 A BRILLIANT SPECTACLE. 

in one long ribbon, looked like bits of colored glass in a 
kaleidoscope when they are being shaken into place to form 
a beautiful pattern. 

From the gutters of the houses the flowers, banners, 
shields, and flags carried splendor of colors down to the 
waving multitude, and there the red coats of the soldiers 
continued the same ruddy flame down to the ground. 
Wherever there was a great red or purple reviewing stand, 
or a house swathed in white and gold, the splendor of ladies* 
dresses distinguished the space even beyond the distinction 
of the most lavishly bedecked facades, since no woman was 
disloyal enough to imagine it could possibly rain. All came 
in their best gowns, new bonnets, and filmiest, daintiest 
parasols, that made them look like lilies personified. 

One of the great charms of the. day was in the sudden 
appearance of many flaring poke-bonnets, such as the Queen 
wore when a young princess. 

As red, white, and blue were the colors of the day the 
ladies all wore rosettes of fine ribbons of those colors, spread 
out from a golden crown in the centre, and every man of 
fashion carried a boutonniere of blue cornflowers, white, pink, 
and red geraniums. The choice of the three colors was not 
at all a compliment to America. Red is the color of the cross 
lof St. Patrick, blue represents Scotland, and white stands for 
^ (England, as the hues appear in the union jack, but America 
was handsomely complimented in a myriad examples of star 
spangled banners over the whole length of the line of march. 
The Yankee flag fluttered over the bank of England, the 
Mansion House, and on one side of St. Paul's, opposite, were 
three flags and one shield of stars and stripes. 

While the crowds of loyal subjects waited so patiently the 




Right Hon. Benjamin Disraeli. 
Earl Beaconspield. 




Lord Rosebebky. 



ARRIVAL OF THE ENVOYS. 345 

procession was forming at Buckingham Palace. The Queen 
breakfasted at 9 o'clock and informed her physician that she 
was not fatigued by yesterday's ceremonies. 

Already at that hour, in the great quadrangle of the palace, 
there were many signs of the coming ceremonial. Gorgeously 
attired servants gathered near the scarlet-carpeted staircase, 
which was lined by rare flowers, while the strains of the 
national anthem, as a band passed the palace, announced that 
the colonials had started. 

At the same time the special envoys, who were to take 
part in the procession, began arriving in the quadrangle. 
Whitelaw Reid, the United States special envoy, was the first 
to appear. He drove in accompanied by one of the royal 
equerries, all in gold, scarlet, and feathers. He drove up to 
the great door of the palace, where he was escorted to the 
waiting-room by the master of ceremonies. 

A minute or so later General Nelson A. Miles, represent- 
ing the United States army, rode up on a splendid horse and 
in full uniform. He lingered for- a moment there without 
any one attending to him and then rode out. 

The minor royalties next dropped in, followed by richly- 
caparisoned steeds, intended for the use of the princes. 

The arrival of the princes, who were to take part in the escort, 
formed a splendid picture, full of color. The quaint-looking 
Crown Prince Danilo, of Montenegro, with black, glossy hair, 
under a dull crimson cap and wearing a crimson jacket heavily 
embroidered with gold, and with full, short, pale blue skirts, was 
greeted by the German princes, who were in fine military uni- 
forms. 

The Grand Duke Sergius of Russia, a man of the heavy 
Romanoff type, was eclipsed in appearance by the 'gorgeous 



34^ THE FORCES GATHER. 

Austrlans and Hungarians in scarlet and gold, with white 
Hussar jackets, lined with pale blue and fastened to their left 
shoulders, their striking attire being completed by high fur 
caps and stiff plumes. 

The brother of the Khedive of Egypt, Mohammed AH 
Khan, was mounted on a pure white Arabian charger, which 
was greatly admired. 

The Duke of Cambridge, carrying his field marshal's 
baton and wearing the ribbon of the garter across his portly 
person, next arrived, and after him came the Lord Chamber- 
lain, the Earl of Lothian, and a score of white wand cham- 
berlains, attired in the darkest of blue, smothered with gold. 
They mingled with the crowd and later passed up the 
stairs. 

Eleven royal landaus then arrived and were musteredT in 
the centre of the quadrangle. Each carriage was a show in 
itself, forming with its brilliant assembly of escorting horse- 
men and footmen a most gorgeous display. 

A preliminary gleam of the sun pierced through the clouds 
at this hour, touching everything with bright light and mak- 
ing the scene a grand feast of color. 

By ID. 20 the envoys' carriages were filled and took up 
their position in the centre of the quadrangle. Soon after- 
ward the Queen's superb coach arrived. It had hardly come 
to a standstill when the landaus, with the ladies and lords in 
waiting, and the princesses, were in their allotted positions. 

In the meanwhile a platoon of the royal servants lined up 
on each side of the great door, and an inclining platform 
from the foot of the stairs to the place to be occupied by the 
Queen's coach, was placed in position and carefully tested by 
a Scotch gillie. 



"PLAIN POSTING LANDAU." 347 

A hoarse roar of cheers, quickly followed by the royal 
anthem, played by the band outside of Buckingham Palace, 
announced the arrival of the Prince and Princess of Wales. 
The Prince wore the uniform of a field marshal. The 
Princess was dressed in pale lilac and wore a lilac bonnet, 
with white feathers. 

The Prince of Wales mounted by the scarlet covered steps 
to the entrance of the palace, and then the Queen's carriage 
was drawn into position. It was what is known as " plain 
posting landau," a carriage with a light running body, built 
about a quarter of a century ago, and of which her Majesty 
was known to be very fond. The body was dark claret, lined 
with vermilion, the moldings outlined with beads of brass. 
Brass beads decorated the rumble, and the body loops and 
lamp irons were gilt. The wheels and underworks were ver- 
milion, with heavy lines of gold. 

The carriage was drawn by the famous eight Hanoverian 
creams, cream in color, with long tails, white, almost fish-like 
eyes and pink noses, their manes richly woven with ribbons 
of royal blue. They wore their new State harness saddle- 
cloths of royal blue velvet, with rich fringes of bullion, the 
leather work red morocco above and blue morocco beneath, 
glittering everywhere with the royal arms — the lion, the uni- 
corn and the crown in gold. 

The liveries of the postillions were in keeping with the 
harness and had cost ^600 apiece. They consisted of scarlet 
and gold coats, white trousers and riding boots. For once 
since the Prince Consort's death the Queen permitted the 
mourning band to be removed from the men's arms, so there 
was no note of sorrow. Each horse was led by a " walking 
man " in the royal livery and a huntsman's velvet cap. 



348 THE PROCESSION MOVES. 

At ii.io A. M. a bustle on the main staircase announced 
the coming of her Majesty. 

Queen Victoria slowly descended the stairs, assisted by a 
scarlet-clad and white-turbaned Indian attendant. She was 
dressed in black, wore a black bonnet, trimmed with white, 
and carried a white sunshade. 

At the foot of the stairway her Majesty paused for a 
minute and touched an electric button connected with all the 
telegraph systems throughout the British Empire, and it 
flashed around the world this message : 

" From my heart, I thank my beloved people. May God 
bless them." 

Her Majesty then slowly seated herself in her carriage, 
and the royal trumpeters sounded a fanfare. The Princess of 
Wales and Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein joined 
the Queen, seating themselves opposite her Majesty, and the 
Queen's coach started. 

Two gillies in Highland costume, wearing the tartan of 
MacDonald of the Isles, the so-called Crown Prince of Scot- 
land, occupied the rumble. 

As her Majesty emerged from the portico, the sun broke 
brightly through the clouds and the Queen raised her sun- 
shade. At the same time the royal salute was fired, announc- 
ing to the waiting millions that her Majesty was on her way 
through London. 

The Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, and the 
Duke of Connaught rode to their places about her Majesty's 
carriage, and the latter took its place in the procession. 

The jubilee procession was practically in three sections as 
far as St. Paul's, though the two last en route to the Cathedral 
were consolidated as they moved into Piccadilly. 



ORDER OF ARRANGEMENT. 349 

The first to take up position was the colonial procession, 
which formed on the embankment and moved via the Mall 
past the palace, where her Majesty viewed it from a window, 
over the route to St. Paul's. 

When the march began the great cortege proved a 
welcome relief to the waiting multitude. For the colonies 
were living pictures, presenting In tangible shape the extent 
of the Queen's sway. The procession, after some police, was 
headed by an advance party of the Royal Horse Guards. 
Then followed the band of the same corps, playing the 
" Washington Post March." 

Next came Lord Frederick Roberts, commanding the colo- 
nial troops, with Colonel Iver Herbert, of the Grenadier 
Guards, second In command. The trim, upright figure of 
the popular general, his breast covered with orders, sitting 
his charger in the most soldier-hke manner, elicited shouts 
of " Hurrah for Bobs." 

Close after him came the Canadian Hussars and the pic- 
turesque Northwest mounted police as escort to the first 
Colonial Premier to win a round of cheers — Wilfrid Laurler, 
of Canada. 

The New South Wales Lancers and the Mounted Rifles, 
with their gray semi-sombreros and black cock's plumes, 
succeeded them, escorting the Premier of New South Wales. 

The Victorian mounted troops followed, smart, weather- 
beaten fellows, in unattractive brownish uniforms, succeeded 
by the New Zealand mounted contingent, a fine-looking, sun- 
burned lot, drawn from almost every town of any Importance 
in the colony. A number of Maoris rode with these, their 
black faces exciting the greatest interest. They escorted 
the New Zealand Premier, Richard J. Seddon. 

21 



3 so AN ATTRACTIVE DISPLAY. 

The Queensland mounted infantry came next in their 
kharkee tunics and scarlet facings, and then the Premier of 
Queensland, Sir H. M. Nelson. 

For the moment Australia gave way to Africa, and the 
Cape of Good Hope Mounted Rifles — well-set-up men, wear- 
ing the scarlet, with white helmets — rode by, accompanying 
the Cape Premier, Sir J. Gordon Sprigg. 

Then came the South Australian mounted troops, lean, 
long specimens of wiry manhood, dressed in kharkee tunics 
of yellowish brown, lit with bright scarlet, a blazing puggaree 
on the spiked helmets, and double stripes down the seams of 
tightly-fitting corduroy trousers, with large chamois leather 
patches where the knee gripped the saddle. 

The Premier of Newfoundland, Sir W. V. Whiteway, fol- 
lowed, and after him came the Premier of Tasmania, Sir Eric 
Braddon. The Natal mounted troops, similar in equip- 
ment to the Cape brothers-in-arms, escorted H. M. Hes- 
combe, the Premier of Natal, who was followed by Sir J. 
Forrest, Premier of Western Australia. 

Then succeeded an attractive display, mounted troops of 
the Crown colonies, the Rhodesian horse, and the colonial 
infantry, broken by three bands, typical of the United King- 
dom, those of St. George's, the London Scottish, and the 
London Irish Rifle Volunteer Corps. 

The Rhodesian horse was headed by Captain Maurice 
Giffard, whose armless sleeve gave evidence of active service. 
Every one of the troopers who followed him had been 
wounded. They were splendid looking men, and were 
cheered to the echo, amid cries of " Hurrah for Dr. Jim.'" 
"Where is he?" 

The colonial contingent included local militia of Hong 



CONTINGENT FROM CANADA. 351 

Kong, Singapore, Ceylon, Mauritius, Jamaica, St. Lucia, 
Bermuda, and the Royal Malta Artillery Corps ; Hong Kong, 
Singapore, Ceylon, Mauritius, Jamaica, and Royal Malta 
Submarine Mining Companies of the Royal Engineers ; the 
West India Fortress Company of Royal Engineers, the West 
j India Infantry Regiment, the Hong Kong Regiment, and the 
'Royal Malta Regiment of Militia. 

Then there passed the splendid contingent from Canada 
infantry, 175 strong, uniformed somewhat like the regular 
service infantry, with Colonel Alymer heading. Much ap- 
plause was bestowed on these men, who in every way kept 
the Dominion to the front. 

Following these came the real oddities in the eyes of 
Londoners, of which the Zaptiehs from Cyprus divided honors 
with the Dyaks of Borneo. Both are military police; the 
Zaptiehs were mounted on island ponies, and wore the 
Turkish fez, with a jacket suggestive of Constantinople. The 
Borneo Dyaks, yellow colored and small, were eagerly 
awaited by the crowd, owing to their head-hunting proclivi- 
ties. Notable also were the Hong Kong poHce, Chinamen, 
with strange, saucepan-like hats inverted over their immutable 
yellow faces. 

The Trinidad Field Artillery, the Sierra Leone Militia, with 
their strange, small blue turbans, and depending tassels and 
knickerbockers ; the British Guiana police, with their white- 
curtained caps ; the Haussas in the familiar Zouave costumes 
of long-ago, and the Royal Niger Haussas — men who fought 
at Ilorin and Bida — in uniforms of Kharkill cloth, trousers 
exposing the leg and shaved heads, were all blacks. The 
Haussas, the blackest of the blacks, wearing ** the burnished 
livery of the sun," were enthusiastically greeted. 



352 A CARNIVAL OF COLOR. 

The procession ended as it began appropriately by de- 
fenders from Canada, the rest of the Northwest Mounted 
Police. 

The second procession passed the palace fifty minutes after 
the Colonials had climbed Constitution Hill. It was the 
military parade, and eloquently filled up the picture of 
Britain's war strength. 

It was a carnival of gorgeous costume and color, scarlet 
and blue and gold ; white and yellow ; shining curaisses and 
polished helmets ; plumes and tassels ; furs, and gold and 
silver spangled cloths ; bullion embroideries and accoutre- 
ments; splendid trappings for horses, and more splendid 
trappings for men, sashes and stars, crosses and medals — 
medals for the Crimea, Indian, Seringapatam, the Nile, 
Ashanti, Afghanistan, Chitral, South Africa, China, and 
dozens of others, and here and there the finest of them all, 
the most highly prized the world can show, the Victoria Cross ; 
death-dealing weapons, swords and revolvers, carbines and 
cutlasses ; batteries of artillery ; men of splendid physique 
and horses with rare action, who fully entered into the spirit of 
it all, and fondly carried colors for which these men would 
die, and over all the rich strains of that music they loved to 
hear. The sight was one to stir the blood. 

The procession was led by Captain Ames, of the Second 
Life Guards, one of the tallest men in the British army, who,} 
by the special wish of the Prince of Wales, rode in front of 
the procession. He was followed by four of the tallest 
troopers in that regiment of very tall men. 

The naval brigade followed, wearing straw hats and carry- 
ing drawn cutlasses. They met with a rousing reception. 

As the soldiers wound out of sight to watt for the Queen's 




THE RIGHT HONORABLE JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN, 



A GLITTERING CAVALCADE. 353 

procession on Constitution Hill it seemed like nothing so 
much as some stream of burnished gold, flowing between 
dark banks of human beings. 

The Empire had passed in review, the army and navy had 
been shown in its panoplied strength, the head of it all was 
now to come — her Majesty. 

The military portion of the royal procession proper formed 
at Hyde Park and marched round by Belgrave Square to the 
palace, where it was interwoven with the crowd of waiting 
dignitaries of all sorts. When ready it moved to join the 
rear of the military procession. 

First came nine naval aids-de-camp, including Lord Charles 
Beresford, followed by the military aids-de-camp to the Queen. 

Then followed alone the Lord Lieutenant of London, the 
Duke of Westminister, followed by a glittering cavalcade of 
officers. 

Next came three officers of the auxiliary forces in attend- 
ance on the Prince of Wales, equerries, gentlemen-in-waiting 
and military attaches, foreign naval and military attaches, in 
alphabetical order, beginning with Austria and ending with 
the United States, followed by General Nelson A. Miles, rep- 
resenting the United States Army, and General Lagron, 
representing President Faure. 

Most of the foreigners were men with a glittering array 
of titles, uniformed in the dresses of all the courts of Europe 
and half its crack regiments, and wearing all its stars. 

Then, as a compliment from the Kaiser, followed a depu- 
tation from the First Prussian Dragoon Guards, splendid 
looking men, quite able to live up to the Kaiser's reputation 
for turning out fine soldiers. 

Following these came the most brilliant group of all the 



354 THE MOST BRILLIANT GROUP. 

soldiery, the officers of the Imperial Service Troops from 
India in their uniforms — a mixture of the English regular 
army and native dress — brilliant to a degree not to be wit- 
nessed outside of countries where barbaric splendor and in- 
genuity in embroidery is the rule. Most of the men were 
swarthy-featured fellows, bearded, and wearing wondrously 
twisted turbans in colors and cloths of gold. Their tunics 
were of scarlet or blue or white or green, laced and inter- 
laced with gold or silver. Many wore broad sashes or 
*' kammerbands," in radiant colors, and most of them white 
breeches with Napoleon boots ; many also wore massive gold 
earrinofs with enormous stones, while some wore in addition 
gold anklets ablaze with sapphires and emeralds. 

The special envoys not numbered among the princes fol- 
lowed the Indians, riding in two-horse landaus, painted lake 
and vermilion, with heavy lines of gold in the vermilion run- 
ning gear, with scarlet and purple hammer cloths, and lined 
with blue-figured rep. The royal arms were on the panels 
and royal crowns on the tops. The horses were high-step- 
ping bays. 

A gorgeous coachman sat in each box. They were clad in 
royal scarlet, white knee-breeches and silk stockings, with 
heads bewigged with white horsehair and crowned with mag- 
nificent three-cornered hats, decorated with ostrich plumes, 
dyed in royal red. Each hat cost ^loo and must have re- 
quired a courier's art to keep balanced. 

Two gorgeous footmen stood at the back of each landau, 
dressed like the coachman, only their hats were more of the 
old field marshal's pattern, heavily bullioned, and cockaded 
and trimmed with red ostrich tips. 

In the first carriage were the representatives of Costa Rica, 



THE sovereign's ESCORT. 355 

Chile, and Greece ; in the second, those of Paraguay, Peru, 
Servia, and Central America ; in the third, those of Mexico, 
Uruguay, Guatemala, and Brazil ; in the fourth, those of 
China, Belgium, Holland, and the Papal envoy ; in the fifth, 
the envoys of the United States, France, and Spain. 

Following the envoys came landaus, bearing the princes 
and princesses and other notable persons. 

Then the first part of the sovereign's escort now rode into 
view — the Second Life Guards. As their brilliant uniforms 
appeared the whisper ran electrically " She's coming." The 
Guards were succeeded by the escort of British and foreign 
princes. The gorgeous uniforms and splendid horses of the 
princes, who rode by threes, made this part of the show the 
feature of the entire procession. 

At the head were the Marquis of Lome, son-in-law of the 
Queen, and the Duke of Fife, son-in-law of the Prince of 
Wales. The former wore a dark blue uniform, and the latter 
a red uniform. They were both covered with orders. Behind 
them was every conceivable variety of brilliancy, from Mo- 
hammed Ali Khan, the Egyptian representative, in dark frock 
coat and fez, to the Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand, 
in a gorgeous Hussar's uniform. 

The Duke of York rode toward the rear of the princes' 
escort, wearing a naval uniform and the order of the Garter, 
while his children, on the main balcony of the palace, waved 
their hands to him. By his side were the Crown Prince of Siam 
and Prince Waldemar of Denmark. Then came Prince Henry 
of Prussia, Prince Albert of Prussia, and Grand Duke Sergius 
of Russia. The Crown Prince of Naples, the Austrian Arch- 
duke and the Grand Duke of Hesse were the last members 
of the princes' escort. 



356 THE GUARD OF HONOR. 

The others of this brilliant company were Prince Charles of 
Denmark, Prince Frederic Charles of Hesse, Prince Schaum- 
burg-Lippe, Prince Aribert of Anhalt, the Duke of Saxe- 
Coburg and Gotha, Prince Victor of Schleswig-Holstein, 
Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, Prince Albert of 
Schleswig-Holstein, the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, 
the Duke of Teck, Prince Louis of Battenburg, the Prince of 
Lunengen, Prince Edward of Saxe- Weimar, Prince Adolphus 
of Teck, Prince Rupert of Bavaria, Prince Charles de Ligne 
of Belgium, the Prince of Bulgaria, Grand Duke of Hesse, 
Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Prince Aresugawa of 
Japan, Grand Duke of Luxemburg, Prince Danilo of Monte- 
negro, the Duke of Oporto, Grand Duke Cyril of Russia, 
Prince Philip of Saxe-Coburg, Prince Hermann of Saxe- 
Weimar, Prince Frederick of Saxony, Prince Mahit of Siam, 
Prince Eugene of Sweden-Norway, and Duke Albert of 
Wurtemburg. 

Following the princes came the Guard of Honor, twenty- 
two officers of native Indian cavalry corps, men of fine phy- 
sique, picturesque uniform and strange faiths — Jat Sikhs, 
Brahmin Sikhs, Mussulman Pathans, Hindustani Mussulmans, 
Hindu Jats, Mussulman Rajaputs, Punjabi Mussulmans, and 
plain Mussulmans. But for these the crowd had no eyes. 
They could see the Queen's horses. 

The procession closed thus : Captain of Escort, Standard, 
Field Officer of Escort, Chief of the Staff, Master of the Buck- 
hounds, Gold Stick of Scotland, Gold Stick in Waiting, Master 
of the Horse, Crown Equerry and two Equerries, Field Offi- 
cer in Brigade Waiting Equerry to H. R. H. ; the Duke of 
Cambridge, Equerry to the Prince of Wales, Silver Stick 
in Waiting, six royal grooms, rear part of the Sovereign's 



THE QUEEN-EMPRESS. 357 

Escort, Second Life Guards, Royal Irish Constabulary, Squad- 
ron of Royal Horse Guards. 

An unlooked-for feature of the occasion was the silence of 
the vast multitude. There was no noise whatever, except an 
occasional rattle of the hoofs of the officers' horses or troops 
of cavalry on the roadways. People all talked in low voices 
so hushed that no buzz or murmur as of most multitudes 
reached the ear. An occasional bugle call or command of 
a leader to a body of marching troops rang out with startling 
clearness on the still air. 

At last when the roads were cleared and lay bare between 
a blood-red double line of soldiers, there was a murmur that 
swelled into a roar and burst into long, loud cheering as four 
gold-clad postilions, each riding the off horse of a pair of the 
Queen's famous cream-colored stallions, came well into view. 
All the spectators on the stands had been requested to keep 
their seats, but all sprang to their feet and yelled and waved 
hats and handkerchiefs as the royal object of all this pomp 
and expenditure was seen on the back seat of the open 
landau, riding in company with her daughters. Simulta- 
neously the assembled multitude arose and uncovered. The 
Queen-Empress was come. 

She was received with great enthusiasm. It was realized 
that she was the procession herself; that all the rest of it was 
mere embroidery, that in her the public saw the British Em- 
pire itself. She was a symbol, an allegory of England's 
grandeur and the might of the British name. 

She is said never to have looked better in her life. Cer- 
tainly she made all portraits hideous libels, for she appeared 
a kindly, motherly, gentle old lady, rather stout of figure, 
to be sure, but with a delicately gray face and hair and ex- 



358 A QUEENLY OLD LADY. 

pression which gave a sublimation at once of majesty, pride, 
and tenderness. 

After sixty years, in which no candid lips had formed the 
word beauty, it was all at once the only word by which to 
describe her. 

She became visibly transfigured before the eyes of her 
subjects. Those who could not see caught the big throb from 
those in the front. It ran from heart to heart through the 
kinofdom with more than electric swiftness. 

She wore a dress of gray and black, such a light gray it 
was taken for white ; a bonnet of black and white, and carried 
a white parasol, which worked havoc all along the line, be- 
cause it hid her from all who looked down on her from any 
considerable elevation. She was obliged to carry it open, for 
the sun was blazing down upon her. She bowed slightly 
very frequently, and now and then put up her glasses and 
looked at what interested her. She wore a rather sad face, 
but as the people had not seen her in such a bold departure 
from her deep mourning in a long time, all thought her in 
quite high spirits. The Princess of Wales sat beside her, 
wearing a beautiful gown of heliotrope and hiding her half 
century under the appearance of thirty-three or thirty-four 
years. The Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, who 
was also in the same carriage, was dressed in black. 

The formal crossing of the boundary of the ancient city 
of London at Temple Bar was the occasion of the first cere- 
mony of the day — the receiving of stately homage from the 
Chief Magistrate. 

The frame in which this picture was set was picturesque. 
On one side the broken gray pile of the Law Courts rose 
from portieres of legal luminaries, most of her Majesty's 



AN ANCIENT CEREMONY, 359 

Judges in their splendid robes and full-bottomed wigs, 
Queen's Counsels galore, in more sombre silk and less vol- 
uminous horse hair ; ladies in charming toilettes, and every 
window filled with eager faces. 

The Lord Mayor, Sir Faudel Phillips, and the city officials 
on horseback, arrived ten minutes before the Queen was due. 
The Lord Mayor wore the Earl's robe to which Lord Mayors 
are entitled when crowned heads visit the city — a cloak of 
ruby silk velvet, lined with white silk and edged with ermine. 
Sheriffs Ritchie and Rogers wore the Sheriff's velvet court 
dress, scarlet gowns and chains. 

The "very goodlye sword," known as " Queen Elizabeth's 
Pearl Sword," presented to the Corporation by the maiden 
Queen at the opening of a royal exchange A. D. 1570, was 
carried by the Lord Mayor. The sword is three feet eleven 
inches long with a fine Damascus blade. The pommel is sil- 
ver gilt, with a carefully wrought figure in a medallion of 
Justice on either side. 

On the arrival of the Queen the Lord Mayor uncovered, 
and approaching her carriage with all due obeisance, pre- 
sented the hilt of the city's sword, which was undrawn. This 
was the ancient ceremony of dutiful submission. 

The Queen lightly touched it, thus returning it to the Lord 
Mayor in token that his submission was graciously accepted 
by his sovereign. Her Majesty then commanded the Lord 
Mayor and Sheriffs to proceed. The Sheriffs took their 
places with the Aldermen and Commoners immediately after 
the field marshals ; the Lord Mayor rode bare-headed imme- 
diately before the sovereign's escort of Life Guards and the 
procession moved toward St. Paul's. 

The great bells of St. Paul's broke out in happy chorus 



360 SCENE AT THE CATHEDRAL. 

as the Queen's carriage started from Temple Bar, and only 
ceased as her Majesty's carriage stopped in front of the steps 
of the city Cathedral. 

As the Queen's procession arrived, the carriages, contain- 
ing the envoys and the Princesses, drew up en echelon on 
the roadway on the right. The escort of Princes turned to 
the left on reaching the churchyard, and then to the right 
across the front of the edifice drawn up in open order be- 
tween the statue to Queen Ann and the Cathedral steps. 

Her Majesty's carriage then came between, halting oppo- 
site the platform in front of the portico. The broad steps 
presented to the Queen a picture similar to that on a crowded 
stage, wonderful in brilliant costuming. Immediately in front 
of the royal carriage were the Church dignitaries, the Arch- 
bishops robed in purple and gold, and holding their gilded 
croziers, and the lesser ecclesiastics in white with violet be- 
rettas. Then there were the Cathedral dignitaries, in white 
and gold capes and scarlet skull caps, doctors of divinity in 
crimson cassocks, and back of them two massed military 
bands. 

Beyond the bands were the bareheaded, surpliced choir, 
stretching to the Cathedral door, a field of dazzling white. 
On the right of the Archbishops were two rows of seated 
Judges, robed in black, scarlet, and purple, and wearing their 
wigs, and on the left were other prominent ecclesiastics. 

In the section to the right of the choir were the diplomatic 
corps, with their ladies. The Ambassadors occupied the two 
front rows, and back of them were the Ministers and others 
in the order of their rank. Many of the ladies wore summer 
toilettes of white, but were outshone by the glitter of the 
silver helmets, the gold-laced coats of red, blue, green, and 




A FOX-HUNT — THE bTART. 



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A FOX-HUNT — THE FINISH. 




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FIELD-MARSHAL LORD ROBERTa, V. C. 



THE RELIGIOUS SERVICES. 36 1 

all shades of color, the jeweled orders ghttering on so many 
breasts, and the gaudy silk of the Chinese contingent. 

The Americans present were distinguished by their plain 
attire. 

In the section on the left of the choir was an equally dis- 
tinguished group of people. In the front row and nearest 
to the Queen were the Marquis of Salisbury and his col- 
leagues of the Cabinet. Behind them was a group of foreign 
potentates and a delegation of Indian Princes in shining 
cloth-of-gold, encrusted with jewels. 

In front of the platform was a cordon of Gentlemen of the 
Guard, twenty of the tallest noblemen of the royal house- 
hold, uniformed in scarlet and blue, and flanked by the 
picturesque beef-eaters, or old-fashioned guardians of the 
tower, dressed in the costumes of the time of Henry VIII. 

The Archbishops advanced down the steps upon the ap- 
pearance of the royal procession, and remained standing 
throughout the ceremony. 

A Te Deum by Dr. Martin, organist of St. Paul's, com- 
posed for the occasion, was first sung. The bass solo was 
sung chorally by a large number of bassos, and the accom- 
paniment was furnished by the military bands. '"^'■' 

As the sonorous " Amen " died away the sweet voices of 
the Cathedral clergy were heard chanting, " O Lord, Save 
the Queen," to which the great choir, in a wondrous volume 
of harmonious sound, responded, "And mercifully hear us 
when we call upon Thee." 

When the choir burst forth in song the word " Hush !" 
passed along the crowds at least half a mile in either direc- 
tion, so all could hear the new music by the wondrous boys* 
voices. The hymn finished, silence continued. 



362 THE MANSION HOUSE. 

The Bishop of London then read a short collect, and the 
Queen remained for a short time in prayer. Then came the 
Doxology, so old and familiar that all the listeners caught it 
up and it was sung by hundreds of thousands of throats, and 
amid the further ringing of bells the national anthem was sung. 

The "Amens" in the service were accompanied by the 
blast of horns and the roll of drums. When all was ended 
the Archbishop of Canterbury called for " Three times three 
cheers for Queen Victoria." All present rose and gave nine 
cheers for her Majesty, wildly waving their hats and hand- 
kerchiefs, the Queen bowing repeatedly. 

Then the Queen, who had been leaning forward in her 
open landau, leaned back an instant, but was obliged to re- 
sume her old attitude because the Archbishop of Canterbury, 
the Bishop of London, and other dignitaries had to be pre- 
sented. 

The Prince of Wales and his brother, the Duke of Con- 
naught, sat behind the carriage and in another minute the 
procession took up its course and rounded the south side of 
the Cathedral on its way to Cheapside. 

First came a cavalcade of foreign and native and depend- 
ent princes and such handsome notables as General Miles 
and the colonel representing President Faure. These rode 
jby at the quick gait of the procession and left an Impression 
'of a great blur of red, white, gold, silver, plumes, velvet, 
medals, orders, swords, and splendid men. 

Then came carriages filled with representatives of South 
American States, others with guests from most of the coun- 
tries of the Old World, and after them came a half-dozen 
carriages containing the most famous of the princesses and 
duchesses of England, Germany, and Russia. 



BACK TO THE PALACE. 363 

From St. Paul's the procession moved on to the Mansion 
House. The Lord Mayor here made obeisance and pre- 
sented the Lady Mayoress, who, attended by maids of honor 
on foot, approached the carriage and offered to the Queen a 
beautiful silver basket, filled with gorgeous orchids. 

The Queen twice replied: "I am deeply grateful." Her 
Majesty smiled, was evidently greatly pleased and looked 
fresh and bright. She wore no spectacles, took the flowers, 
passed them to the Princess of Wales, and put out her hand 
to the Lady Mayoress to kiss. The latter, agitated by the 
splendor of the occasion, shook her Majesty's hand instead 
of kissing it. 

In the meantime a distant band struck up the national 
anthem and the crowd joined in singing " God Save the 
Queen," which was sung by thousands of voices until her 
Majesty was out of sight. 

The Lord Mayor and Sheriffs resumed their places in the 
procession, but at London Bridge the Lord Mayor took leave 
of the Sovereign and she passed out of the city limits. 

The Queen reached the Palace on her return at 1.45, and 
a gun in Hyde Park announced that the great procession was 
over, and the event so long prepared for had passed into his- 
tory. The sound of the royal salute was answered by cheer- 
ing, and then the crowd faded away as it came. 

When the afternoon came the Queen went to bed, and 
hundreds of men and women curled up on the grass in front 
of her Palace and slept as well with crowds looking on as she 
did in her bed. 

When evening came the scene shifted. The crowds which 
had filtered out of the processional streets after the great 
show wedged back again to view London a-light. Now the 



364 LONDON A-LIGHT. 

millions were on tip-toes to see the illumination. The Thames 
from Richmond to Windsor was embowered beneath fire- 
works in one twenty-mile blaze, but not a flicker of that could 
London see. What London and her four million visitors did 
was to crowd the procession route all over again in numbers 
that were simply awesome and terrifying. The people reached 
from house to house with tired policemen in the middle of 
each street keeping the contrary tides of humanity apart, urg- 
ing each current steadily forward and stifling the only disorder 
there was, which was simply rough horse-play, 

The sight was worth the trouble and risk, both considerable. 
The illuminations were achieved more artistically than the 
decorations by day. Those of the metropolis were, like every- 
thing that had previously transpired during the morning 
hours, greater and more resplendent than anything in her 
history. The symbols of loyalty and affection, of imperial 
grandeur and the growth of the Empire that had met the eye 
in painted and gilded mottoes, devices of paper and bunting 
and spangled cloth, were now reflected for miles in lines of 
flaring gas, glow-worm oil lamps, opal globes, paper lanterns 
and transparencies, incandescent lamps, celluloid flowers and 
hundreds of devices in thousands of colored crystals. Every- 
where was brilliancy, sparkle, color, at many points a dazzling 
radiancy under the mild summer sky. 

' As was the case with the draperies, the decorations by day 
jwere confined principally to the route taken by her Majesty 
in the morning, and may be said to have begun at Hyde Park 
corner. Every house showed light in some way, and where 
it was sufficiently brilliant the effect was decidedly enhanced 
by the day draperies, though the empty stands added a rather 
weird effect. Leaving the Park the first notable illumination 



VISTA OF RADIANT DEVICES. 365 

was that of the Bachelors' Club, where a large medallion 
surrounded by a crown, the centre bearing the "V. R. I." all 
in cut and colored crystals within the emblazoned words, 
" God Save the Queen," marked the front of the club, every 
window of which poured out a stream of light. The Junior 
Constitutional, the Badminton, Naval and Military and Isth- 
mian Clubs followed suit with many colored devices, while 
the private residences facing Green Park were not for a 
moment outclassed. 

Turning from Pall Mall into St. James Street, that short, 
wide thoroughfare was found to be roofed with evergreen, 
floral ropes stretched from white poles set close together so 
as to produce the effect of a vast bower. Under, over, and 
through this curving framework of a roof were the most 
splendid devices that the jubilee decorators had worked and 
written in fire upon the city's walls. 

This domain of the aristocracy was as they wished it, re- 
splendently flamboyant. The Guards, the Army and Navy, 
the Junior Carleton, Athenaeum, Travelers* and Reform, were 
illuminated with crystal devices, with those lines of gas jets 
following the lines of the building that are always so finely 
effective. In the case of the Reform Club the organization 
lived up to its name by using electricity only. One of the 
private buildings had its fagade picked out in lights of purple 
and fine gold, radiating from a medallion portrait of her 
Majesty, shown in cut crystals. 

Marlborough House Instantly caught the eye as the turn- 
ing into Pall Mall was slowly accomplished. Across the four 
pillars at the entrance to the grounds was noticeable a large 
branch in the form of laurels in various shades of green with 
natural berries, around a crown-surmounted medallion in- 



366 LOOKED LIKE FAIRYLAND. 

scribed " V. R. I." The Prince of Wales' feathers and badge 
figured in the design, the whole being of the most beautiful 
crystal. Round the corner, at York House, was a large 
heart of illuminated crystal, formed of rose petals and May 
blossoms. Passing out of Pall Mall the celluloid balloons, 
the pretty day effect of which has already been referred to, 
quite justified French taste, the incandescent glow lamps 
hidden in flower petals suggesting nothing so much as a 
child's dream of Titania's court. Fleet Street from the Law 
Courts to Ludgate Circus was a dazzling vista of prismatic 
and radiant devices, ending up on Ludgate Hill in the mas- 
sive dome of St. Paul's-, brilliantly lit by searchlights, stand- 
ing with its huge golden cross a clear Christian beacon to 
Greater London and beyond. 

On St. Paul's alone the lights, cost £\ a minute when 
lighted, and the cost to the Bank of England and for lighting 
the Mansion House must have been nearly as great, but the 
ornamental lighting of the old city and of all the business 
districts was very inartistic, broken, splotchy, and discredit- 
able to the people. It was, therefore, with surprise and 
wonder that one came to view the West End illumina- 
tions. 

Paris never did anything in the same line to equal it. Paris 
has often been more picturesque and artistic, but it never 
touched the splendor, dignity or cost of the amazing display 
which London made. 

Piccadilly, from Devonshire House to the Duke of Wel- 
lington's, was not so continuously jeweled with jets as the 
other and smaller street, yet this grand street seen from a 
short distance seemed encrusted with ornate decorations 
worked in supernatural diamonds. It is the hackneyed and 



ROYAL MONOGRAMS. 367 

regulation thing to say that Pall Mall, St. James Street, and 
the upper end of Piccadilly "looked like fairyland." The 
term is not a fair illustration, for the club quarter of the town 
especially was brilliant, too strongly lighted, too nearly all 
aflame with gas jets to suggest the soft dreamy twinkling 
realm of Titania. 

Nothing in all London or elsewhere exceeded in artistic 
beauty and brilliancy of display the scene from the Welling- 
ton statue, with the Bank of England on one side and the 
Mansion House on the other. The official home of the Lord 
Mayor was bathed in so much light that all the beauties of 
the day seemed to fit in and charmingly mingle with that of 
the night. On the top of the pediment a splendid Star of 
India burned its brilliant points into the sky. Prismatic gas 
globes outlined the facade and a portion of the side, while 
the royal crown encircled by a wreath of laurels in incan- 
descent lamps stood out prominently in front of the building. 
The crown was flanked on either side in crystal gas lamps 
with " V. R." — the universal letters, recalHng the incident of 
her Majesty's first visit to the city, when, opposite the Man- 
sion House, she asked Lord Melbourne, " I hope all these 
good people are really happy ?" and the Prime Minister re- 
plied, " Your Majesty has but to look around. Everywhere 
is the answer, * V. R., V. R.' " 

The floral festoons of the tall columns were also illumi- 
nated with prismatic gas globes, while on the balcony steps 
were nine candelabra of prismatic gas lamps, each containing 
thirty lights. At the top of the side elevation of the Mansion 
House was a radiant sun in open gas with the royal mono- 
gram — the monogram of the happy people, " V. R., V. R," 
Twelve flaring tripods adorned the roof, and two mottoes 



368 THE empire's torch. 

stood out boldly in letters of light, " Long Live Our Queen," 
** God Guard Your Throne." 

With illuminations which were universal in every city, town, 
and hamlet of England, Wales, and Scotland, and in some 
parts of Ireland ; with fireworks in countless places, with 
illuminations following the fall of night in every part of that 
empire where the Queen has sway, there yet remains to be 
mentioned the final touch — the lighting of the Empire's torch 
— the ancient form of giving warning or sending joy, the 
beacon fires. 

As ten o'clock struck at the Greenwich Observatory a 
tongue of flame shot upward from Great Malvern, "the 
backbone of the Midlands." It was the Jubilee beacon fire. 
Hardly had the spectator time to look on it before another 
flared in the distance on the right, then again on the left, on 
the north, south, east, and west. Peak answered to peak 
until from Berwick-on-Tweed to Rough Tar and Brown 
Willie in Cornwall, from the Cathedral towers of Lichfield, 
Worcester, Ripon, Lincoln, and Durham ; from Skiddaw to 
St. Helier's, from Hastings to Cader Iris and across the 
water to Donegal and Dublin, a thousand beacon fires blazed 
up their message of loyalty to the Sovereign. Half an hour 
later the Lowlands, the Highlands, the wild Hebrides, even 
to Ultima Tkule, sent answering signals to the sky. And 
then slowly, as the light failed from day to evening, roundj 
the world the Empire's torch was lit. From St. Helier's the 
signal leaped to Gibraltar, to Malta, to Cyprus, to Ceylon, to 
India — where it blazed triumphant on the Himalayas — ^to 
China, to Australia, to Canada, to the West Indies — the Em- 
pire's torch shed its radiance over the universe. And thus 
ended the great day of the celebration. 






'ir . 






I ill 




The Lobby of the House of Commons, 
Waiting to Interview a Member. 




In the Lobby of the House of Lokds. 



ENGLAND S GREATEST FESTIVAL. 37 1 

It was over now. The British Empire had marched past 
under review and inspection. 

The events of the day stood for sixty years of progress 
and accumulation — moral, material, and political. It was 
made up rather of the beneficiaries of these prosperities than 
of the creators of them, as far as mere glory goes. 

Instead of London smoke, a gray pillar of dust ; instead of 
grimy buildings, eight miles of houses scrubbed, scraped, 
painted, washed, set off with bunting ; instead of the roar of 
the vehicles, the tramp, tramp of a gorgeous, glittering array ; 
instead of the excited crush of brutal multitudes, a quiet, 
^orderly throng, with the surplus tens of thousands tucked 
away on vast stands, in all the houses, and on roofs ; instead 
of murder, accident, sudden death, a day without a serious 
casualty — such was the record of England's greatest festival. 

Such was the history of what may be called the apotheosis 
of the lone widow who will be classed with the saints in the 
minds of her loving subjects. Never before in modern times 
has any woman received such a glorification, never before has 
there been such a splendid and imposing spectacle. 



OTHER INTERESTING 

AND 

ENJOYABLE EVENTS. 



CHAPTER XX. 

THEi chief Jubilee event of Wednesday was the presenta- 
tion to the Queen at Buckingham Palace of congratu- 
latory addresses from both Houses of Parliament and the 
reception of other bodies of official personages. 

Nearly half a century had passed since the House of Com- 
mons had visited the Sovereign in a body, the last occasion 
being the presentation of an address acknowledging the re- 
ception of the Queen's message announcing the declaration 
of war against Russia. Not since the early forties, when 
addresses were made congratulating the Queen on the 
failure of attempts at assassination, had she received the two 
houses together. 

There were brief formalities at Westminster, the two 
houses meeting and the formal announcement being made 
by Lord Salisbury in the House of Lords and Mr. Balfour in 
the House of Commons that the Queen would be pleased to 
receive the two houses, they proceeded in stately procession 
to the Palace, where they assembled in the ball-room. 

The Queen was wheeled into the room by an Indian 
attendant. She wore a black-brocaded dress, black and 
white striped skirt, and a widow's cap, and carried a white 
fan and a lorgnette. Her Majesty also wore the ribbon of 
the Order of the Garter. The Prince of Wales, the Duke 
of Connaught, and the Princes Christian of Schleswig-Hol- 
372 



ADDRESSES FROM PARLIAMENT. 373 

Stein and Henry of Battenburg were among the members of 
the royal family who stood behind the Queen, 

The scene was magnificent. The uniforms, dresses, orders, 
and blazing jewels showed up finely in the sunlight which 
found its way through the windows. 

The Earl of Latham, Lord Chamberlain, first escorted in 
the Lord Chancellor, Lord Halsbury, who was gorgeously 
robed. The other members of the House of Lords followed 
him. The Chancellor knelt before the Queen and read the 
address from the House of Lords. At the end the Queen 
bowed, thanked their lordships, and the peers retired in a 
body. 

The Lord Chamberlain afterward ushered into her Majesty's 
presence the members of the House of Commons. The 
latter advanced between two lines of gentlemen-at-arms, 
beautifully uniformed. 

The Commoners were headed by Speaker Gully, who 
stood while he read to her Majesty the address from the 
House of Commons. At the conclusion of the reading the 
Queen bowed and the Commoners retired in a body. 

Both addresses are officially described as an humble ex- 
pression of duty and wishes for a long life for her Majesty. 

While waiting for the arrival of the Mayors the Queen 
chatted with the Prince of Wales and the Princesses, fanning 
herself and using her smelling salts. ( 

Over four hundred Mayors and Provosts, chairmen of 
County Councils, and Sheriffs filed past the Queen, who bowed 
and smiled as each of the loyal officials passed. The Sheriffs 
were all in gorgeous scarlet and the Mayors all wore the full 
insignia of their office. The Ma3'ors were headed by the Lord 
Mayor of London, Sir George Faudel-Phillips. 



374 A PICTURESQUE SCENE. 

The other officials were attired in levee dress, consisting 
of black knickerbockers and stockings, black velvet coats 
with steel buttons, black-plumed hats and swords. In com- 
memoration of the event the Queen ordered a special dia- 
mond-shaped medal struck in gold and silver for presenta- 
tion to all the Lord Mayors in the United Kingdom, the; 
Lord Provosts, and the Provosts. ' 

A picturesque scene in connection with the exercises at 
Buckingham Palace was that described by an eye-witness, 
thus : 

" I had moved out into the fore-court when a cheer from 
the people just beyond the railings warned me to look back. 
There, above the gold and crimson of the centre balcony, the 
nurses of the Duchess of York were seen opening a window. 
Two of her royal Highness' children came out into the sun- 
light, in plain white frocks with blue sashes. Behind them 
was a slight form, tinier still. 

" As the eldest heard the cheerlno- he raised his little arm 
above his eyes and saluted. The people's enthusiasm burst 
all bounds. They broke past the policemen, rushed beneath 
the horse's heads, and clambered to the very railings of the 
Palace gate. The child seemed to recognize that something 
more was required of him, and while his little brother stamped 
with glee and waved his arms, the latest heir of Queen Vic- 
toria saluted with both hands at once." 

The Queen returned to Windsor in the afternoon and her 
progress was a triumphal procession. On the route the royal 
party made stops at Slough, Eton College, and Windsor 
Bridge, where they were received by the local authorities 
with impressive formalities and enthusiastically welcomed by 
the populace. 



ON CONSTITUTION HILL. 375 

The progress was a repetition of the one from Buckingham 
Palace to Windsor in 1887, but vastly more imposing. 

The Queen left the Palace soon after 4.30, returning to 
Paddington Railroad Station by the same route as was fol- 
lowed on her arrival. 

There was a pretty sight on Constitution Hill, near the 
Palace. On the grand stands used to view the procession 
the day before were ten thousand children from the Board 
schools, Church of England schools,Wesleyan schools, Catholic 
schools, and Hebrew schools, who were inspected by her 
Majesty. Each child wore a medal and a red badge, and the 
teachers wore blue badgfes and white dresses. 

All the children were dressed in their " Sunday best," and 
presented a pretty picture. On the arrival of the Queen the 
children, led by a band, joined in singing the national anthem. 

The Marquis of Londonderry, as chairman, presented to 
her Majesty an address in behalf of the School Board, and 
the Bishop of London and others did the same in behalf of 
the other school bodies. Among the members of the com- 
mittee present were Cardinal Vaughan and Baron Rothschild. 
There was a tremendous outburst of cheering as the Queen 
left. 

At Slough, at 6.30 p. M., the Queen was received by Baron 
Nathaniel Meyer de Rothschild, Lord Lieutenant of Buck- 
inghamshire, and the other county officials. 

Addresses were presented to her Majesty by the county 
Magistrates, the County Council, and the urban District 
Council. Her Majesty replied briefly to each address, and 
left Slough through a castellated arch of the mediaeval period. 

The whole place was decorated handsomely. The Royal 
Horse Guards furnished the escort of the Queen. 



376 ROLL OF THE FAMOUS. 

At Eton College a gateway of the period when the college 
was founded, that of Henry VI, had been erected, and there 
were also statues, representing Henry and Margaret of 
Anjou, as well as of the patron saints of the college, St. Mary 
and St. Nicholas. 

At the summit of the arch stood four Eton boys dressed 
as heralds. They pretended to sound their trumpets, which 
was done by the state trumpeter of the Guards. 

At the entrance of the upper school, where the Queen 
stopped, there was an arcade of the Jacobin period, on which 
were emblazoned the names of boys educated at Eton who 
subsequently became famous. Some of the names were also 
illuminated on a parchment entitled "The Roll of the 
Famous," and included those of Mr. Gladstone, the Marquis 
of Salisbury, Lord Rosebery, A. J. Balfour, Lord Randolph 
Churchill, the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Duke of Welling- 
ton, Lord Roberts, of Kandahar, the Earl of Aberdeen, the 
Earl of Durham, and the Marquis of Dufferin. 

Her Majesty was presented with addresses by the college 
authorities and by the oppidans of Eton, to which she replied. 
At the conclusion of the ceremony the Queen asked for her 
grandson, Prince Arthur of Connaught, who, clad in his Eton 
suit, walked to her carriage and shook hands with her. The 
journey was then continued. 

The Queen's next court was at Windsor Bridge, where a 
fine arch of the period of Edward III had been erected. 
There her Majesty received an address from the Thames 
conservancy, the body which controls the river. 

As the Queen's carnage appeared at the entrance to her 
home the national anthem was chanted In welcome by three 
hundred and eighty voices. 



ROYALTY AT THE OPERA. 377 

Wednesday night was a gala night at Covent Garden 
Opera House, where the whole programme and performance 
reflected the greatest credit on Maurice Grau. From this 
performance the world of London was excluded, but all 
the members of the royal family who were in the city attended 
the performance. The route along which the royal family 
drove to and from Covent Garden Opera House was kept 
clear, but the sidewalks were crowded by the populace, who 
cheered the royal carriages vociferously. 

The crush of vehicles was so dense that many men, wear- 
ing gorgeous uniforms and covered with jewels, had to walk 
long distances amid the varying comments of the crowd. 
Many others, like the Duke of Marlborough and the Duke 
of Devonshire, drove to the opera house in state carriages, 
with coachmen and footmen resplendent in state liveries. 

In front of the opera house was a mounted guard of 
honor. Inside the Earl of Lathom, with several gold sticks, 
awaited the arrival of the royal party, while Beef-eaters lined 
the stairway and mounted guard outside the royal box. 
Outside the Garden stretched a long row of cavalry. 

Behind the cavalry, hemming in the Garden upon every 
side, was the populace ; the dense sweating populace in un- 
countable thousands waiting for hours and hours ; shifting, 
sweltering, and struggling excitedly to catch a glimpse of 
each lord and lady who passed through the glowing doorway. 
This lasted six hours. 

During that time this line of cavalry divided Covent Gar- 
den from the rest of London, forming an oasis of royalty and 
aristocracy in the vast desert of ordinary human beings, who 
could only feast their eyes, and if they liked, shout for joy. 

To reach the doors of the Garden by passing through this 



378 INTERIOR OF THE GARDEN. 

mass of humanity was a herculean task. Beyond the cavalry 
line none but the great folks who held tickets were admitted, 
and unless the applicant came sashed and medallioned or bore 
some unmistakable impress of nobility upon his brow this 
ticket had to be produced for careful scrutiny. 

The interior of the Garden blazed and glowed like a huge 
bower in fairyland. The scene was one of incomparable loveli- 
ness. It was a veritable fairyland. The whole interior of 
the structure was hidden 'by freshly cut flowers, principally 
roses. The upper tier of boxes was a mass of Marechal Niel 
roses, the next tier a mass of pink roses, and the bottom tier 
of rich, dark red roses. The Prince and Princess of Wales, 
and a score of visiting heirs to thrones and princes and grand 
dukes, sashed, bejeweled and amazingly medallioned, sat in 
a crimsoned hollow, where a few days before ten boxes had 
been. 

The ten boxes had been made into one to contain him and 
his guests, of whom there were some thirty odd. A canopy 
of heavy crimson satin overhung the space. 

White flowers adorned the royal box, which was surmounted 
by an enormous floral crown of crimson roses and golden 
orchids. The box was decorated in the Louis XVI style, 
the chairs and settees being covered with white and yellow 
silk. The same materials, fluted and patterned into diamonds, 
formed the ceiling. 

i The box was a beautiful picture. The Prince of Wales 
wore the red uniform of a Field Marshal. The Princess, 
who sat beside him, wore a crown of diamonds and pearls. 
Her costume was white, embroidered with silver ; upon her 
head she wore a beautiful diamond tiara, pearls around her 
neck, and a long row of orders across her bodice. As she 




SIR DONALD A. SMITH.-LOED STRATHCONA. 




MAJOE-GENEKAL. T. KELLY-KENNY. 



IN THE ROYAL BOX. 38 1 

entered the royal box the audience rose and the band played 
the national anthem. 

Every man and woman in that royal box wore either sash 
or jewel as emblem of their nobility. The Prince of Naples, 
who sat in the most conspicuous place in the box, was one 
shining mass of decorations. The Princess of Naples wore 
a crown of black pearls so big that they could be counted at 
a great distance. 

Around them, above them, and below them sat the repre- 
sentatives of the wealth and aristocracy of England, a clean, 
glittering, and sweet-smelling throng, and all the rest was a 
sea of pink roses that hid walls and roof. 

The audience included all the leaders of official and social 
England, and all of the Ambassadors. 

As soon as they were seated the curtain rose, disclosing 
the entire cast of the opera, among them Madame Melba 
and MM. de Reszke, grouped upon the stage. Then fol- 
lowed such a rendering of the national anthem as it never 
had before, after which was carried out Mr. Grau's care- 
fully arranged programme, including the second act of 
" Tannhaeuser," the third act of Gounod's "Romeo and 
Juliet," and the fourth act of the " Huguenots." 

The efforts of the singers and the orchestra were received 
with the greatest enthusiasm, and the performance surpassed 
in every way the famous gala performance given at Covent 
Garden for the Emperor of Germany. 

While royalty was thus enjoying itself great crowds viewed 
the illumination of the city; crowds much greater than those 
of Tuesday night. The processional route and the side streets 
were packed with every conceivable sort of vehicle, from 
coster's cart and tumbril to handsomely appointed coaches, 



382 ILLUMINATION OF THE CITY. 

private open carriages and omnibuses, specially chartered 
for the occasion, carrying ladies and gentlemen in full even- 
ing dress. 

In many parts where the police diverted the traffic into the 
side streets, men, and sometimes women, could be seen 
leaving their carriages and mingling with the crowd, in order 
to get a better view. 

At the West End the route from the Strand to St. James 
Street was packed to suffocation. The heat was intense, 
many women fainted, and the ambulances were kept busy. 

Trafalgar Square was the centre of an immense throng, 
and the police had hard work to keep the people moving. 
The route along which members of the royal family drove to 
and from Covent Garden Opera House was kept clear, but 
the sidewalks were crammed by the populace. 

The day's festivities were brought to an end by an illumi- 
nation of the palace. 

The Queen rode in pompous state through miles of packed 
and shouting subjects on Tuesday. Thursday the Princess 
of Wales walked in all simplicity between two long tables 
and patted little cripples on the head. 

To the contemplative mind the Princess' dinner to the 
poorest of the poor was a more striking incident of the 
Jubilee than the great procession. No illumination of the 
night flashed as brightly as did the eyes of the one thousand 
six hundred tiny sufferers whom the Princess smiled upon. 

The Lord Mayor was not as proud when the Queen touched 
the sword he bore at Temple Bar as the tiny hunchback was 
when the Princess cut for him roast beef, which was too much 
for weakling hands to master. 

No episode of Tuesday night's state banquet was more 



"POOREST OF THE POOR." 383 

impressive than that of Thursday noon, when a little club- 
footed Briton, with dirty hands, lifted a glass of lemonade and 
drank the health of the Prince of Wales. Smiling the Prince 
reached to a vacant place, and, lifting another glass, raised it 
to the cripple as meaningly as the future king of England 
could drink from a gold cup to a Continental monarch. 

From one end of London to the other marvelous feasts 
began at noon. Almost five hundred thousand of the poorest 
of the poor partook this day of what is thought to have been 
the biggest dinner since the world began. It was served in 
a hundred halls, while thousands of the aged and infirm were 
bountifully fed in their own homes. 

When the Princess first conceived the scheme she wrote to 
the Lord Mayor, who had charge of the jubilee arrange- 
ments : 

" There seems to me to be one class which has been over- 
looked, namely, the poorest of the poor in the slums of Lon- 
don. Might I plead for these that they may have some share 
in the festivities of the day ?" 

She pleaded so effectively that the London folk gave 
;^250,ooo (^1,250,000) to a fund that she started, and the 
fund furnished good dinners to one-sixth as many people as 
there is in New York City, people who had forgotten or never 
had known how it feels to have a stomach full. 

The phrase " poorest of the poor " meant much in London, 
where one of every four spends a part of his life in the 
workhouse. But it also meant much to be a guest of the 
Princess of Wales. No bejeweled lady ever more heartily 
appreciated the latter fact than the paupers did, and bejeweled 
ladies cannot know the joy of filling empty stomachs, so the 
paupers had the better of it. 



384 THE people's palace. 

The biggest as well as the most Interesting of the many 
separate dinners was that given to ©ne thousand six hundred 
crippled children at the People's Palace. 

The People's Palace rises fine and large in the most 
poverty-haunted part of the woeful East End. It was made 
by the novel, All Sorts and Conditions of Men, but nothing 
which Walter Besant wrote in that marvelous book is so 
strange as was the sight in the building it built. 

When the little ones were brought up to the great doors, 
so deformed that they must needs be carried in, it reminded 
one of Lourdes' great shrine in the south of France, where 
could be seen such horrors as Dante never dreamed of. 
But a brief glance at the sparkling eyes and smiling lips of 
the wee sufferers was enough to dispel a comparison. Here 
was childish joy ; there, weary sorrow. 

Half an hour before the feast began all were in their places 
— most of them happily expectant of the greatest treat that 
their pain-wracked lives had ever known, but in the tiresome 
time of waiting some grew frightened and set up piping 
wails, while others, appalled by too long contemplation of 
unwonted gorgeousness around them, tortured by agony and 
overcome by weakness, fainted in their chairs and were gently 
taken out almost at the moment the Prince and Princess, 
accompanied by two of their daughters, entered the hall. 

Britons to the death, the whole company of little cripples 
tried to rise, but alas ! there were too many. Not less piti- 
fully Impressive were the wailing notes of the national 
anthem piped out by one thousand six hundred little voices, 
most of them shrilled by suffering. The beautiful, bountiful 
Princess wept and smiled. 

The Prince on Tuesday, in the great parade, red-coated 



A PATHETIC INCIDENT. 3S5 

and gold-laced, looked fat and stupid. Thursday, when tears 
rolled down his cheeks in answer to a pathetic salutation, it 
seemed that England's future king was not such a bad fellow 
after all. 

The Princess, dressed in creamy muslin and heliotrope 
silk, nodded and smiled through tears as she passed between 
the tables, and the spirit of the mother shone in her kindly 
face when she patted half-a-dozen little cripples on the head. 
Sometimes she stopped and asked about the health of some 
poor little fellow, a question which was all too plainly 
answered by the peaked face and crippled body. 

Ideally she fulfilled the part of the good fairy — ideally the 
children played the parts of innocence, overwhelmed at sight 
of wonderland marvels. 

The speeches were mercifully brief. Then came the din- 
ner. Each child got a plate of hot roast beef, vegetables, 
puddings, oranges and lemonade — such sumptuous fare as 
never was known before. 

Not the least pathetic incident of this unique banquet oc- 
curred just before the royal party left the platform. A few 
feeble cheers showed that something was happening. Two 
tiny cripples were seen carrying huge bouquets toward the 
Princess. They were among the most nearly robust in the 
room, but were almost unequal to the task. At the end they 
were lifted to the platform by willing hands. 

Four present, the Prince, the Princess and the two little 
cripples, were weeping when the episode ended. As the 
Princess left she said, sorrowfully, to Earl Compton : " Poor, 
poor little ones ! If I only could do more for them." 

The Princess visited three dinners in all. At Clerkenwell 
there was a miscellaneous crowd of men, women, and chil- 
23 -~ 



CLOSING DAYS 

OF THE 

GREAT CELEBRATION. 



CHAPTER XXL 

ON June 25th the Queen drove to Windsor Park and 
visited six thousand school children who were cele- 
brating her Majesty's jubilee. The Queen seemed in excellent 
health and spirits and smilingly conversed with those around 
her, evidently much pleased at the children's gathering. Each 
child wore a commemorative medal, and finally all joined in 
singing the National Anthem. 

Later the Queen received delegates from fire brigades 
belonging to all parts of the kingdom. The parade was one 
of the largest ever held in England. There were twelve 
thousand men in line and one hundred engines. The Duke 
of Marlborough, as president of the National Fire Brigade, 
presented the officers to the Queen. 

While the Queen and the Empress Frederick were dining 
in the evening a thousand Eton boys, with bands of music, 
entered the quadrangle of the castle and gave an exhibition 
of torchlight evolutions and fireworks. The charming spec- 
tacle was watched by the Queen and the members of the 
royal household from the castle windows. 

The Lord Mayor, Sir George Fau del-Philips, gave a 
luncheon in the afternoon at Mansion House to all the 
princes and princesses, British and foreign, who were in the 
jubilee procession and to the special envoys with the rank 
of ambassador and to part of the Diplomatic Corps. Great 
388 




LIEUTENANT-GENERAL J. D, P. FRENCH. 



LUNCHEON AT THE MANSION HOUSE. 389 

crowds of people watched the arrival and departure of the 
guests, who were, warmly cheered. 

Among those present were the United States special Am- 
bassador, Whitelaw Reid, and Mrs. Reid, and United States 
Ambassador Hay and Mrs. Hay. 

The guests were entertained in the Egyptian Hall. The 
lofty doomed roof, richly ornamented with heavy moldings, 
supported on massive, fluted, golden columns, contrasted 
finely with the pretty tinted walls, patterned in Egyptian 
designs. 

The Honorable Artillery Company furnished the guard of 
honor. 

The Lord Mayor took in the Princess of Naples, the Prince 
of Naples had the Lady Mayoress on his arm, the Prince of 
Wales escorted the Grand Duchess of Hesse, and the Grand 
Duke of Hesse gave his arm to the Princess of Wales. 
The Prince of Wales* toast to the Queen met with an enthu- 
siastic response. 

The Lord Mayor toasted the foreign envoys, and the 
Prince of Naples and Marshal Devoust, the special envoy 
of France, replied. 

The Prince of Wales toasted the Lord Mayor and Lady 
Mayoress, and the luncheon ended with a toast to the Prince 
of Wales. 

Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the Canadian Premier, reviewed the 
Canadian troops at Chelsea. At the close of the evolutions 
the Premier said : 

" In behalf of the government and people of Canada I 
congratulate you upon your splendid appearance, and upon 
the good reports I have heard of you from all sides. As 
Canadians, we all hope that war will never break out, but I 



390 ENTERTAINED AT LANSDOWNE HOUSE. 

express the feelings of all present in saying that if it should 
be the misfortune of the empire to go to war, the Canadian 
troops will be quite as ready to go on the battlefield and 
give a good account of themselves as they have been to 
appear on parade this morning. 

" In my own behalf I desire to heartily thank you for your 
splendid appearance and good conduct, and I shall imme- 
diately report to the government of Canada the excellent 
accounts I have heard of you." 

Colonel Aylmer then called for three cheers for the Pre- 
mier, which were heartily given. 

By invitation of Sir Henry Irving seven hundred of the 
colonial troops now in this city witnessed a special perform- 
ance at the Lyceum theatre. 

In the evening the Marquis of Lansdowne, Secretary of 
State for War, gave a banquet at the sculpture gallery 
of Lansdowne House, at which were present the Prince and 
Princess of Wales, Ambassador Hay and Mrs. Hay, Special 
Envoy Reid and almost all the other envoys, and foreign 
princes now in London, the Duke and Duchess of Devon- 
shire, the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, the Marquis 
and Marchioness of Londonderry, the Marquis and Mar- 
chioness of Salisbury, the Earl of Rosebery, Lord and Lady 
Wolseley, and other persons of high rank. 

Lansdowne House contains one of the finest private col- 
lections of ancient sculptures in the world. Most of the 
pieces were discovered during the excavations at the villa of 
Emperor Hadrian, The collections of paintings by old mas- 
ters is almost equally fine. It was amid this array of classic 
and mediaeval beauty that the banquet was served. 

Later in the evening most of the guests, including the 



OFF TO THE SEA-COAST. 39 1 

Prince and Princess of Wales, attended a brilliant ball given 
in an immense marquee by the Duke of Westminster. The 
marquee was erected in front of Grosvenor House, lined with 
red and white carpets and hung with Gobelin tapestries. The 
supper was served a la Russe, at small round tables. The floral 
decorations and illuminations were beautiful. I 

With the dawn of Friday the scene of action was trans- 
ferred to the sea-coast, where everything was in readiness for 
tlie morrow's great naval spectacle. Portsmouth, Southsea, 
and their environs repeated London's jubilee fever. 

Decorations were universal, profuse, and distinctly naval, 
notably at the gateway of the gun-wharf, where brass cannon 
were mounted in two turrets and in charge of pikemen in full 
armor. Matchlocks protruded from the port-holes. On the 
outside buttresses were figures of pikemen, while over the 
gateway was a knight in the full armor of the Queen Anne 
period. 

In addition to these were all sorts ^of jubilee devices, formed 
of Brown Bess pistols, sword blades, matchlocks, cuirasses, 
and dirks. Armed knights in the panoply of the sixteenth 
and seventeenth centuries guarded the gateway. 

The town hall was richly decorated, among the decora- 
tions being a group of American flags with the name 
" Brooklyn " in the centre. 

The festivities began in the afternoon with a garden party 
given by Sir Newell Salmon, who was in supreme command 
of the review. 

At night a banquet was given at the town hall, at which 
George J. Goschen, First Lord of the Admiralty, presided. 
The officers of the " Brooklyn " were present. 

The banquet was preceded by a reception, a naval guard 



392 BANQUET AT THE TOWN HALL. 

of honor lining the main approaches and presenting arms as 
the guests arrived. All the latter wore uniforms and deco- 
rations. Covers were laid for two hundred and fifty. Prince 
Henry of Prussia sat next to Mr. Goschen. 

The hall was splendidly decorated, the main feature of the 
decorations being a bust of the Queen, surrounded by a huge 
wreath made to represent the rose, the thistle, and the sham- 
rock, and formed of side arms. It was surmounted by a 
royal crown, studded with incandescent lamps to represent 
jewels. 

Around the hall were shields bearing the names of the 
foreign warships that were present at the review. 

Mr. Goschen proposed the usual loyal toast to the Queen, 
which was received with great enthusiasm, and then the 
health of the foreign naval visitors. He gave them a hearty 
welcome, and dwelt upon the comradeship of naval men the 
world over, arising out of the common dangers, common 
hardships, common experience, common courage, and com- 
mon endurance. Admiral Von Spawn, of the Austrian Navy, 
proposed the toast to the British Navy, and Mr. Goschen 
responded. 

At last the day of the great naval review was at hand. 
After a threatening morning the weather brightened and a 
brilHant day was vouchsafed. The streets were thronged 
with people at an early hour, and on all sides were to be 
seen bewildering masses of glittering uniforms, gay multi- 
tudes of civilians, military bands and sailors of all ranks and 
nationalities. 

The colonial troops arrived at 8 o'clock, and were met at 
the railroad station by a military guard of honor. Then, 
headed by military bands, they marched to the town hall, 



feko£>US OF LONDONERS. 393 

where the Lord Mayor and Corporation of Portsmouth, in 
full robes of office, welcomed the visitors. The soldiers 
from the colonies received a great popular ovation. Their 
march from the station to the town hall and from the town 
hall to the point of embarkment was nothing less than a 
triumphal progress. » 

Some idea of the exodus of Londoners to the naval re-j 
view can be gathered from the fact that the London & South- 
western Railroad alone dispatched from Waterloo Station, 
between five and ten o'clock in the morning thirty-seven 
special trains, having on board over 18,500 passengers, 
besides duplicating all their regular passenger trains, each 
of which was crowded. 

During the morning the excursion steamers, densely 
crowded to the rails, were busy steaming in and out of 
the lines of ships, dodging about, manoeuvering for good 
positions, and generally behaving in eccentric fashion, re- 
sembling nothing so much as a lot of huge water spiders. 

There were craft of every possible description, from the 
great Atlantic and Australian liners, cross-channel packets, 
Norway excursion steamers, Mediterranean cruisers, old 
paddle boats, and dirty tugs, to smart yachts, dainty electric 
launches and fishermen's dingies, venturesome canoes, and 
many a rowboat. 

The American line steamship " New York," with a large 
party of sightseers on board, left Southampton at five o'clock 
the previous evening and took up the position assigned to 
her in the line of special merchant vessels. As the American 
greyhound traversed the lines of British warships, with the 
stars and stripes flying proudly, and a fine band playing 
national airs, each warship dipped her flag, and she was 



394 DECORATIONS OF THE SHIPS. 

greeted with hearty cheers from the many thousands of blue 
jackets manning the fleet. As the " New York " passed the 
German warship, ** Konig Wilhelm," the latter's band played 
*' Hail Columbia." 

The decorations of the shipping hotchpotch were as varie- 
gated as the crafts they adorned. The stately liners were 
trimmed with a near approach to what is possible in ships, 
and the long string of flags from stem to taffrail showed 
up effectively against the morning sky. The smart yachts 
were daintily beflagged. 

At eight o'clock, on signal from the " Renown," Admiral 
Sir Howell Salmon's flagship, there broke out on every war 
vessel a perfect eruption of color. Each ship spread every 
inch of bunting it possessed — streamers from every spar, 
and rainbows over all. The flags were mainly signals of the 
international and naval codes, and their multiform colors 
added perceptibly to an ensemble which was as striking as it 
was theatrical. 

The Prince of Wales, accompanied by Admiral, the Duke 
of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Captain, his Royal High- 
ness, the Duke of York, the Princess of Wales, and other 
royalties, with their suites, arrived at Portsmouth at one 
o'clock. The party immediately proceeded on board the 
royal yacht ** Victoria and Albert," in which, forty-one years 
ago, her Majesty inspected the fleet. 

The Prince of Wales, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, 
the Duke of Cambridge, and all the admirals were in uni- 
form, and the Princess of Wales, Princess Victoria of Wales, 
and Princess Charles, of Denmark, her daughters, wore white 
flannel yachting dresses and white straw hats. 

The other royalties present were : 



THE ROYAL YACHTS. 39^ 

Ex-Empress Frederick of Germany; the Duke of Con- 
naught ; the Duchess of Albany and her children ; the Prince 
Christian of Schleswig-Holstein ; the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg 
and Gotha; Grand Duke Sergius, of Russia; Prince Charles 
of Denmark, in a naval uniform ; Prince Albrecht, of Prussia ; 
the Crown Prince of Naples ; Grand Duke Francis Ferdi- 
nand, of Austria ; Prince Henry, of Prussia ; Prince Frederick 
Charles, of Hesse ; Prince Rupert, of Bavaria ; Prince Mo- 
hammed Ali Khan, of Egypt ; Prince Aresugawa, of Japan ; 
Prince Danillo, of Montenegro ; Grand Duke Cyril, of Rus- 
sia ; Prince Frederick, of Saxony ; Prince Eugene, of Sweden 
and Norway ; Prince Albert, of Wurtemburg ; the Duke of 
Fife ; Prince Waldemar, of Denmark ; Prince Albert, of 
Schleswig-Holstein ; Prince Victor, of Schleswig-Holstein ; 
Prince Schaumburg-Lippe, the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg- 
Strelitz ; Prince Edward, of Saxe-Welmar ; Prince Fernan- 
dina, of Bulgaria ; Prince Hohenlohe-Lengenburg, the Grand 
Duke of Luxemburg, and a large number of other titled 
personages. 

After lunching on board, at 2.30, the "Victoria and Albert," 
with the principal royalties, left the harbor for Spithead. She 
was followed by the yacht " Irene," by the " Pando," the 
** Carthage," and the " Elfin," an admiralty yacht, these ves- 
sels carrying the distinguished foreign visitors. 

Then came the " Enchantress," an admiralty yacht, with 
George J. Goschen, First Lord of the Admiralty, and after 
her the admiralty's yacht " Wildfire," with Mr. Chamberlain, 
the Secretary of State for the Colonies, and the colonial pre- 
miers. She was followed by the " Eldorado," carrying the 
ambassadors and special envoys. Then came the " Danube," 
with the members of the House of Lords ; the " Campania," 



396 THE OFFICERS RECEIVED. 

with the members of the House of Commons, and the " Fire 
Queen," the yacht of the commander-in-chief at Ports- 
mouth. 

As the "Albert and Victoria " was seen approaching, the 
fleet, led by the " Renown," and echoed by the foreign vessels 
present, fired a deafening royal salute of twenty-one guns. 

Simultaneously the blue jackets and marines "manned 
ship," standing on the ironclads in solid lines round their 
outer edges and filling their tops, while on vessels of the older 
types the yards were quickly dotted by men. 

The " Victoria and Albert," followed by the other yachts, 
then steamed through the lines, the sailors heartily cheering 
and the bands playing " God Save the Queen." The "Vic- 
toria and Albert" afterward anchored between the "Re- 
nown " and the foreign war vessels. 

Immediately the steam launches of the foreign commanders 
left the sides of the big ships and made for the " Victoria 
and Albert," on the quarter-deck of which the commanding 
officers were received by the Prince of Wales. 

This was one of the prettiest sights of the day. As the 
craft bearing the admirals passed the different warships the 
bugles sounded, the bands played, and the marines presented 
arms. 

All the admirals, with the exception of Rear- Admiral Miller, 
went in their steam pinnaces. Admiral Miller went in his 
barge, the seaman of the " Brooklyn " rowing so finely that 
they provoked approving comments on all sides for their skill 
and sailor-like appearance. 

The Prince of Wales received Admiral Miller and his staff 
with special cordiality, and complimented him upon the ap- 
pearance of the " Brooklyn." 



A MAGNIFICENT FLEET. 397 

It is generally admitted that the '* Brooklyn " presented the 
smartest appearance of any of the foreign ships. Everything 
about her was spotlessly clean, she was beautifully decorated 
with flags, her crew were trim and alert, and her salute was 
fired with the greatest precision and regularity. 

The most magnificent fleet of warships ever seen was that 
reviewed off Spithead. 

Over one hundred and sixty vessels, or more than one- 
third of the British Navy were in line, carrying about nine 
hundred heavy guns, manned by about forty-five thousand 
men, and having a gross tonnage of six hundred thousand. 

In addition, each of the great maritime nations sent its 
best available ship to the review, and a magnificent display 
resulted. 

The huge fleet was drawn up in seven lines on the south 
of the Solent, the head of the lines being off Brading, thence 
stretching westward almost to Cowes. The outer line of all 
on either side of the Sturbridge Shoal, and known as " E " 
line, was composed of fourteen special merchant vessels, 
whereof the American Liner " New York " was one. Next, 
in "A" line, were the foreign men-of-war. " B," " C," " D," 
" F," and " G " lines consisted entirely of British men-of-war 
from the " Majestic " and " Renown," the latest class type of 
battleships, down to the smallest torpedo boat — in all, one hun- 
dred and sixty-six craft. " B " and " C " lines were made up 
exclusively of battleships and cruisers of the first and second 
class ; " D," of third-class cruisers, gun-vessels, and torpedo- 
gunboats ; " F," of destroyers, gunboats, and sailing training 
brigs, while *' G " line was of torpedo boats. All the lines 
except " G," were approximately five miles in length. 

Among the battleships nine types were represented, the 



398 BRITISH BATTLESHIPS. 

first of these being the " Majestic " type, the latest and most 
powerful model of British battleships, carrying four 12-inch 
fifty-ton guns. Some of the others present had heavier 
armament, not only the " Benbow " and " Sanspareil," each 
possessing a iii-ton gun. There were four of the "Royal 
Sovereign " type. The " Renown " was the only one of her 
type, the distinctive feature being a huge centre battery. 

The "Admiral " class of vessel was represented by the 
" Collingwood," the unfortunate " Howe," and the " Benbow." 
The "Alexandra " class, nearly twenty years old, the " Devas- 
tation" type, with their revolving turrets, were also in evidence, 
as were the classes of which the " Inflexible," " Thunderer," 
and ** Sanspareil " are specimens. 

Two types were shown in the cruiser class. The " Power- 
ful " and ** Terrible," the two fastest British cruisers afloat, 
were the most interesting. 

The enormous advance made both in the number and con- 
struction of the ships of the royal navy cannot better be 
exemplified than by the fact that of the twenty-one battleships 
reviewed four only took part in the jubilee ceremony of 1887, 
while of the forty-three cruisers present, not one existed in 
1887. 

Further, the battleships built before 1887, were armed with 
muzzle-loading guns, which, though extremely powerful and 
marvels of their day, have been entirely outclassed by breech- 
loaders and wire guns. Then, too, the later built vessels are 
armored by Harveyized steel, which can scarcely be pene- 
trated in actual warfare, whereas the guns of any of the ships 
of the " Majestic " class could easily send projectiles through 
the armor belts of any of the 1887 squadron. 

One of the most remarkable things in the last few years is 



INTERNATIONAL NAVAL EXHIBITION. 399 

the tremendous increase of expenditures in the navy, follow- 
ing upon a tardy recognition of the greater importance of 
this arm of defense. 

The British fleet and all other fleets have so changed in 
character during the last sixty years that no useful compari- 
sons can be made between now and then. 

The Spithead review of 1897 ^^s regarded as a great 
international naval exhibition, from which the seamen and 
constructors of the various nations carried away much valua- 
ble information. 

The waters of the Solent had previously witnessed many 
magnificent reviews. On April 23d, 1850, at the close of the 
Crimean War, a review was held there when there were 
columns of screw line of battleships, at that period the latest 
development of naval power — of screw frigates and cor- 
vettes, a fleet of side-wheel vessels, and of floating batteries 
of the "Merrimac" type. Four squadrons of one hundred 
and sixty gunboats, brought up the total number of ships to 
two hundred and forty. This fleet carried three thousand 
and two guns, and was of thirty thousand six hundred and 
seventy-one horse-power. 

Admiral Sir George Seymour was In chief command of 
this fine fleet, which was reviewed by her Majesty on board 
the royal yacht " Victoria and Albert." 

The changes In naval architecture which have taken place 
during the last fifty years have swept away all these wooden 
vessels, the classes to which they belonged no longer exist, 
the sole remaining vessel being the royal yacht " Victoria and 
Albert," which floated the standard of the Prince of Wales at 
the naval review. 

The next great review held at Spithead was on July 1 7th, 



400 ILLUMINATION OF THE FLEET. 

1867, when her Majesty, accompanied by the Sultan of Tur- 
key, reviewed a fleet of wooden vessels and ironclads, of 
which the most modern of the latter were the " Minotaur," 
•' Achilles," " Warrior," " Black Prince," " Bellerophon," and 
" Lord Clyde," under the command of Sir Thomas Pasley. 

On June 23d, 1875, the waters of Spithead were again the 
scene of a naval review — this time in honor of his Majesty, 
the Shah of Persia. 

On August 13th, 1878, her Majesty inspected the fleet at 
Spithead, and on July 23d, 1887, on the occasion of the 
Queen's jubilee, a large fleet was again assembled there and 
reviewed by the sovereign. 

The most modern ships present on that occasion were the 
" Collingwood," " Imperieuse," and " Conqueror." The fleet 
was composed of one hundred and thirty- four vessels, the 
personnel of twenty thousand two hundred officers and men. 

With the coming on of evening there was a most beautiful 
sight witnessed. 

It was the illumination of the fleet at Spithead, one 
of the most charming sights of a week of delighting 
spectacles. The night was pleasantly dark, no moon dimmed 
the effect of martial creation, the waters of the Solent were 
reposefuUy quiet — everything contributed to enhance the 
success of the programme. It was all ghostly, fantastic, sug- 
gestive of fairyland and the world of magic — a fitting termina- 
tion to a day of imposing realities and iron facts. The 
brutal grimness of all the enginery of destruction — savage- 
looking guns, venomous torpedoes, the veritable teeth of 
war — was lost in peaceful shadow and softening gloom. 

A minute before nine the miles of waters showed only such 
lights as are usually associated with shipping, red and greens 



A STRIKING FEATURE. 4OI 

of port and starboard, while lights at mastheads, gleams that, 
like tiny rows of diamonds, showed the ports of passenger 
craft, with here and there some parti-colored lights that had 
been lit on private vessels before the time. 

At nine there was a flash — a rocket from the '* Renown " 
ripped into the dark blue, and, bursting with a shower of 
splendid stars, signalled the lighting up of the fleet. The 
stick of the rocket had not turned toward the water ere the 
mighty fleet was suddenly skeletoned in brilliant yellow light, 
hulls, smokestacks, spars, and cordage being thrown into 
strong relief. One particularly pretty effect was produced 
by the illumination of the United States warship " Brook- 
lyn." Along her rail was a row of electric lights, while 
between her funnels were large letters " V. R." and the dates 
" 1837-97," showing up conspicuously. 

But the most striking feature was " Old Glory "flying from 
a yardarm. On this, from time to time, the rays of a search- 
light were thrown, all the other lights of the cruiser in the 
meanwhile being quenched, thus giving the flag the appear- 
ance of floating in the air, nothing being visible below. 

A few minutes later the lights vanished with the sudden- 
ness of their appearance, leaving the spectator staring at the 
place where they had been. Then the darkness was broken 
again, this time by numberless search lights with uncanny 
glare, like the eyes of a hundred Cyclops. Then they were 
all shut off, leaving the darkness more visible than ever. 

A pause, and the darkness was pierced by hundreds of 
signal rockets, ambitiously soaring into the blue with mes- 
sages of jubilation, not disaster, delivering them and fpjllng 
burnt out and useless into the waste of waters. 

The purpose of this naval exhibition was not to be over- 



402 A ROYAL SALUTE. 

looked, however, the might of Britain, its ever-prepared 
strength, was again to be impressed upon the staring thou- 
sands. A signal rocket leaped from the *' Renown " and now 
there was provided an exhibition of what war would be like 
if ever an immense fleet of battleships and cruisers should 
engage at night. A royal salute of sixty guns was fired from 
every ship capable of firing it. Great guns and small guns 
answered each other in one prolonged roar, rising and falling 
in intensity as more or less of them fired together. It was 
truly awful. Even the certain knowledge that there were no 
deadly missiles in the guns did not prevent a chill feeling 
from creeping over many of the civilian spectators. 

The foreign warships moored opposite the British lines 
joined the cannonade, and to the superstitious there was from 
the deep-throated guns of the United States, Russia, France, 
Germany, a note of defiance, a resonant resolute answer, gun 
for gun ! Yet all was in honor of Victoria. Then the angry 
roaring ceased, much to the relief of thousands who were 
stopping their ears, and as the panoply of unpleasant smoke 
slowly drifted away the fleet again stood revealed in fairy 
lines of lightness. The signs of war were dimming and dis- 
appearing in the shadows, the gentler side of things was 
again put to the front to instill into the minds of departing 
thousands that while the dogs of war were " Ready, aye 
ready " that after all what the people came out to see was 
the "triumph of peace and the glory of the Queen." 

The following is a list of the countries represented at the 
review and of their respective ships and commanding officers : 

France, by the "Pothnau," Rear Admiral the Marquis de 
Counthllle. 

Italy, by the " Lepante," Vice-Admiral Morin, 



COUNTRIES REPRESENTED. 4O3 

Germany, by the " Koenig Wilhelm," Rear Admiral Prince 
Henry of Prussia, K. G. 

Austria-Hungary, by the ** Wien," Vice-Admiral Hermann, 
Baron Von Spann. 

Spain, by the " Vizcaya," Rear Admiral Segismundo Barne- 
joy Merelo. 

Portugal, by the " Vasco Di Gama," Captain Barreto de 
Vascencelles. 

Netherlands, by the " Evertsen," Rear Admiral F. K. En- 
gelbrecht. 

Denmark, by the " Heligoland," Rear Admiral H. H. Koch. 

Sweden, by the " Gotha," Rear Admiral Klintberg. 

Norway, by the " Frithjof," Rear Admiral Von Krogh. 

Russia, by the *' Rossia," Rear Admiral Nicholas Skrvdlofif. 

United States, by the " Brooklyn," Rear Admiral J. N. 
Miller. 

Lieutenant Henry McCrea, the navigator of the United 
States cruiser " Brooklyn," flagship of Rear Admiral J. N. 
Miller, gave the following account of the day's ceremonies : 

•* Did ever prince or potentate have a better occasion to 
feel proud than did the Prince of Wales to-day as he steamed 
through the lines of vessels gathered here to do honor to the 
noble Queen and himself? On one side was Britain's own 
magnificent fleet and on the other a fleet of vessels from each 
of the maritime nations. All came in the interests of peace 
and good-will. The British fleet was composed of more 
classes of vessels than any fleet ever assembled, for they 
severally present peculiarities fitted to satisfy all conditions 
of the much varied services required, verily a complete navy 
in itself. 

" The column of foreign men-of-war was composed of typi- 



404 "the 'swan-like' 'Brooklyn.'*' 

cal vessels from several countries. An interesting assem- 
blage of armored battleships predominated and a comparison 
of the armaments of similar vessels, say of the ' Indiana ' class 
in our service, leaves little doubt in my mind of the superi- 
ority of our own representatives. The * swan-like * ' Brook- 
lyn,* as a Britisher called her, shines out decidedly as a mark 
of our advancement in the art of ship-building. She is 
modern, fast, and generally effective, and her motto, 
'Right makes might,' is peculiarly fitting. It expresses 
the sentiment which fired the hearts of the patriots in 1776, 
as well as represents the advance of civilization. If there is 
any doubt as to the policy best adapted for our country, a 
glance at the armament should convince us of the absolute 
necessity for preparation as well as of the extreme need of 
moderation before beginning hostilities. Certainly, the 
material here assembled Is thus far experimental, for few, 
If any, of the guns were ever fired In anger. Nevertheless, 
we know their effectiveness against armor-plate, as well as 
against masonry, so It behooves us to believe In their destruc- 
tive qualities In war times. 

"Again the question naturally arises, How soon will these 
very ships, with their modern excellence, become out of date 
to some of the new improvements ? Fancy what this would 
mean In England, where even small Inventions must come 
slowly Into general use, owing to the expense of their adop- 
tion on such a scale. But this is emphatically a Queen's 
jubilee. The nations represented at the review came here 
bearing congratulations and best wishes for the Queen and 
the English nation. Therefore no talk of war or even of 
arbitration is heard, attention being called only to the cele- 
bration. 



LAST STATE APPEARANCE. 46^ 

" Much miofht be written of the cordial welcome extended to 
all foreigners, both ashore and afloat. Our welcome has 
been apparent even to the lukewarm, and English hospitality 
will lose nothing of its glamour or prestige through the gal- 
lant naval officers who are a credit to their country at social 
as well as military events. 

" The review will be long remembered ; much will be writ- 
ten about it, probably it will never be duplicated and it will 
be used as an argument for peace as well as in the shape of 
a warning to prepare. If so, we should be thankful to all 
concerned in its management, heartily joining with our Eng- 
lish cousins in * God save the Queen.* " 

Much disappointment was felt among the British naval 
officers at the fact that the Queen did not review the fleet in 
person, especially as she went to Aldershot to review the 
troops there. 

With the celebration that closed at Aldershot the state 
appearances of her Majesty were finished ; henceforth for 
whatever span of life may be left to her. Queen Victoria will 
confine herself to such Work for the state as can be done at 
Windsor, Balmoral, or Osborne. All those official functions, 
drawing rooms, public ceremonies, opening town halls, hos- 
pitals, and the like, which bring the sovereign face to face 
with the people, will now be relegated to the Prince and 
Princess of Wales. 

Her Majesty has witnessed and has been the object of a 
scene never surpassed in material splendor and moral sig- 
nificance since the British Empire was created. For the 
occasion she put aside her own ever present sorrows and 
griefs in order to join the exultation of the Empire. The 
result was beyond expectation. Everybody had known that 



406 A VISIT TO KENSINGTON. 

the Jubilee would be remarkable, but few realized how great 
would be the fervor and strength of the popular feeling. The 
sounds far more than the sights were a revelation. 

The Queen thinks that she has done enough. The unex- 
ampled devotion to and acceptance of her obligations to her 
people have, after sixty years, well won her rest, and In so 
far as the sovereign can, she now proposes to let the burden 
of responsibility fall on those who must bear It when she 
passes away. It was the knowledge of this, pathetically 
mingled with loyalty, that lent such deep interest to the 
proceedings, fittingly devoted in the first Instance to a visit 
to Kensington. 

Going to her birthplace, possibly for the last time, revived 
for the Queen all the sweet associations of childhood, made 
more solemn to her In that it was here she first knew she was 
a Queen, and that on this day, fifty-nine years ago, she was 
crowned. As her Majesty has always cherished with pas- 
sionate attachment every tender sentiment, to-day's visit was 
one of mingled pleasure and sadness ; it seemed Indeed a 
farewell. Her Majesty arrived at Paddington at 12.35 p* ^^ 
She was In the best of health and walked with less difficulty 
than usual. The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess Serglus 
of Russia and Princess Beatrice of Battenberg occupied seats 
In her Majesty's carriage. 

The same ceremonies of semi-state progression were ob- 
served as on her arrival a week before, a commanding officers' 
escort of the Life Guards being In attendance. The route 
was by the Bayswater road to Church Street, and via the 
Mall to Kensington. Such portion of the route as had not 
already been decorated was furnished forth In the draperies, 
flags, mottoes, and festoons made so familiar last week in 



A GARDEN PARTY. 407 

Other parts of London. Proceeding along Church Street to 
St. Mary Abbott's a halt was made to receive an address from 
the inhabitants of her birthplace. Ten thousand children 
belonging to the elementary schools of Kensington, massed 
behind the railings of Kensington Gardens, sang the National 
Anthem while the Queen was passing. 

After receiving the address the procession resumed the 
route to Buckingham Palace via High Street, Queen's Gate, 
Kensington Gardens, past the Albert Memorial to Hyde 
Park corner, thence to the palace. Throughout the entire 
distance there were dense crowds of spectators, who cheered 
her Majesty with that astounding vigor to which last week 
had somewhat accustomed one. The Queen looked im- 
mensely gratified, smiling and bowing her acknowledgments. 

Her Majesty reached Buckingham Palace at 1.30 p. m., and 
about 5 o'clock entered the grounds to be present at the gar- 
den party, for which six thousand invitations had been issued. 
Her Majesty was received with almost reverential greetings 
and took up her position, to which she was wheeled from the 
palace door, in front of a small tent near the lake. The 
gardens were beautifully arranged. The Queen's watermen 
were in boats on the lake, the fountains were all playing, re- 
freshment marquees had been erected at convenient spots, 
and three bands of music were in attendance. The Queen 
received many of her guests in her tent and there took leave 
of the Special Envoys of the foreign powers to the jubilee 
ceremonies and their suites. 

Among the Americans present were all the members of 
the United States Special Embassy, excepting Rear Admiral 
Miller. The Queen returned to Windsor at 7 o'clock. 

The scene at St. Mary Abbott's was exceedingly brilliant, 



408 "HOME, SWEET HOME." 

the neighborhood being lavishly decorated. The Marquis 
and Marchioness of Lome were included in the members of 
the reception committee. The guards of honor furnished by 
the Middlesex Volunteers, presented arms and the band 
played the National Anthem on the arrival of her Majesty. 
So soon as the Queen's carriage reached the porch, the Mar- 
quis and Marchioness of Lome approached and greeted her 
Majesty, after which the chairman of the vestry presented 
the address, which was contained in a morocco case. 

Her Majesty handed back a written reply to the address, 
thanking the signers for their loyal and kind expressions, and 
adding : 

" I gladly renew my association with a place, which as the 
scene of my birth and summons to the throne, has ever had 
and will have with me solemn and tender recollections." 

Across the gates of Kensington Palace was a banner on 
which was inscribed " Home, Sweet Home." 

Her Majesty saw and seemed much affected. 

With the naval review the Jubilee festivities practically 
ended. It was the biggest week any country ever saw. The 
ceremonies and decorations cost the British public not less 
than $10,000,000, while the loss of business by small trades- 
men was estimated at ^5,000,000, and the cost to the Gov- 
ernment of entertaining guests and doing its share was not 
less than $8,000,000. 

The London police were the greatest gainers by the events 
of the week. Everybody was loud in their praise, and the 
Queen, in honoring their chiefs, elicited universal approval, 
nor could there be a doubt to those who have witnessed im- 
portant festivities in other countries that the dexterity and tact 
of the London police called for exceptional commendation. 



THE BRITON S PAGEANT. 409 

The Briton's colossal pageant, one of the greatest the world 
ever saw, was completed without a contretemps to mar its 
success. It was an anxious week for those in authority ; but 
the whole scheme for the celebration of the Queen's jubilee 
was largely planned, carefully carried out, and was a triumph 
for the management and an object lesson in unity for the 
hosts of guests. The latter saw in the gathering rep- 
resentative contingents from all parts of the Empire, who 
gave a meaning and a purpose to the procession, generally 
lacking in similar displays. 

The pageant was not wholly devised for a mere show ; nor 
to express what no one could doubt, the ardent loyalty — love 
of the whole British race for the sagacious woman who had 
held for sixty years a throne that might have perished under a 
less judicious occupant. The vastness of the jubilee pageant, 
the assembling of the Colonial grandees, the pre-eminence 
given the Prime Ministers of the Colonies, were meant not 
only to bind the disparate peoples of the Empire in closer 
union, they were intended to give Continental Europe an 
object lesson in what they have to meet in case of an en- 
counter with the stout islanders. Even the marked distinc- 
tion shown the embassy from the United States was a part 
of the plan. The United States was thus made to seem a 
second Britain — a reliance in case the machinations of the 
Emperors should drive the Briton to stress. Trivial as the 
manifestation — the pomp, the marching soldiery, the feasts 
with gold plate and imperial argentry — seemed, they created 
an immense impression on peoples and States struggling 
under the mountainous burdens of war preparations. They 
were naturally forced to reflect, that If a mere show could 
open British purses In this lavish way, what would the limit 



41 BEAUTIFUL AND COSTLY GIFTS. 

be if national life hung in the balance ? It was to prove that 
British treasure was greater than ever and the British ready- 
as ever to pour it into a common fund, that the jubilee testi- 
monial took on its grandiose character. It was a demonstra- 
tion for peace. 

Incidentally it is of interest to know that the Queen received 
many beautiful and costly gifts in commemoration of the 
Diamond Jubilee. 

The Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of York, 
the Duke and Duchess of Fife, Prince and Princess Charles 
of Denmark, and Princess Victoria jointly presented to her 
a brooch, consisting of one very large white diamond, encir- 
cled with a diamond row. 

The Duke and Duchess of Coburg, the Duke and Duchess 
of Connaught, Prince and Princess Christian, the Marquis 
and Marchioness of Lome, and the Duchesses of Albany 
and Battenberg united in a gift to her Majesty of a long 
chain of diamond links, with an imperial crown in the centre, 
bearing on one side the date 1837 and on the other 1897. 
The dates are in brilliants. 

The royal household presented to the Queen a large 
brooch of fine brilliants, having in the centre an exceptionally 
lustrous pearl, with a fine drop-shaped pearl and chain of 
brilliants attached, to match the jubilee necklace presented 
her in 1887 by the Daughters of the Empire. 

Now that the great celebration is at an end ; now that the 
loyal Britons have done all in their power to show their love 
and regard for their sovereign, it is not unseemly to say a 
few words about the object of all this homage and attention. 
Victoria came to the throne in her girlhood, and at a time 
when it was the fashion to question all things, to demand of 



EMPIRE OF THOUGHT. 4I 1 

every human institution what useful purpose it served in the 
economy of the world. All has changed since then, and her 
influence has been felt in everything that obtains for liberty 
and progress. Nor should we forget that the heritage in 
the possession of which the Englishman glories to-day is 
that of the whole Anglo-Saxon race, of the English-speaking 
people. It is not merely the long reign of a good woman 
and a gracious Queen that was celebrated, but the growth 
of the empire of thought, of mental and moral develop- 
ment, and of political and religious liberty, an empire 
"wide as Shakespeare's soul, sublime as Milton's imme- 
morial theme, rich as Chaucer's speech, and fair as Spenser's 
dream." 

During these long years as a Sovereign, Victoria has 
learned that " all is not gold that glitters," and that the life 
of a Queen is not unmixed with sadness. She has learned 
that death comes to the palace as well as the cot. Sorrow 
after sorrow has been her lot, and she has borne all her trials 
with faith and courage. First she was called to part with a 
wise and devoted mother, then the ideal consort, then the 
gifted daughter, then the cherished youngest son, then the 
chivalrous Emperor Frederick, then the husband of Princess 
Alice, then the second heir to the throne, and finally the life- 
long partner of her youngest daughter. 

Of the Queen's nine children, seven are now living. The 
Prince of Wales, the Duke of Connaught, the Duke of 
Edinburgh, the Ex-Empress Frederick of Germany, the 
Princess Christian, the Marchioness of Lome, and the Prin- 
cess Beatrice. These with their various children and grand- 
children constitute the present royal family. 

In this connection, it may not be out of keeping to pause 



412 "HER SIXTY YEARS." 

for a moment to consider the many changes that have taken 
place during Victoria's reign of sixty years. 

Since Victoria was crowned Queen, seventeen Presidents 
have occupied the position of Chief Executive in the United 
States, and many Sovereigns have sat upon European 
thrones, but unchanged amid all the various vicissitudes 
which have marked her career, she has remained. To-day 
her subjects number over four hundred millions of people, 
and her vast Empire covers an area of over eleven million 
square miles, an average of one hundred and sixty-five miles 
of territory a day for the past sixty years, which is to say, she 
has added more than the bulk of an England proper each 
year, or an aggregate of seventy Englands in the sixty years. 

The Queen has served her country long and faithfully. 
At home and in the affairs of State she has exhibited qualities 
that mark a noble nature. Some one has very fittingly said : 
*' Her sixty years' reign, the longest of any English Sover- 
eign, has covered a period of progress and prosperity un- 
equalled in the annals of history. No other sixty years has 
seen such strides of science, such marvelous development in 
education, such wise legislation for the betterment of humanity, 
such growth in religious tolerance, such miracles of invention, 
such strengthening of the bonds between nations, such uni- 
versal advance toward higher living. And this progress has 
been attained during the reign of a woman — the wise and 
good Queen Victoria." 

May the evening of her life be henceforth peaceful and 
serene. 










i# 



Cakdinal Manning. 



,4 

t 



:^ 



^^,. 



-4 




QuiiEN Passing Soldiers' Monument. 



THE DEATH 

OF 

QUEEN VICTORIA. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

'TpHE closing scene of Queen Victoria's life was as peace- 
ful as liad been her illustrious career. She passed 
away at 6:30 o'clock on the evening of January 22, 1901, at 
Osborne House, Isle of Wight. Among the mourning fam- 
ily gathered at her bedside were the Prince of. Wales, now 
King Edward VII., and the Queen's grandson, the Emperor 
of Germany. 

This event, which meant so much to the British people in 
that it caused changes of far-reaching importance, took place 
quietly, almost gently, upon the anniversary of the death of 
Queen Victoria's father, the Duke of Kent. 

The end came in a simply furnished room in Osborne 
House, where the most respected of royal women, living or 
dead, lay in a great four-posted bed, making a shrunken 
atom whose aged face and figure were a cruel mockery of 
the fair girl who in 1837 began to rule over England. 
Around her were gathered almost every descendant of her 
line. Well within view of her dying eyes there hung a por- 
trait of the Prince Consort. It was he who designed the room 
and every part of the castle. In scarcely audible words the 
white-haired Bishop of Winchester prayed beside her, as he 

*l An omission of 38 folios is here made in numbering to equalize the unfolioed illustration& 



452 THE DKATH OF QUEEN VICTORIA. 

had often prayed w7tli his sovereign, for he was her chaplain 
at Windsor. With bowed heads the imperious ruler of the 
German Empire and the man who is now King of England, 
the woman who has succeeded to the title of Queen, the 
princes and princesses, and those of less than royal desig- 
nation, listened to the Bishop's ceaseless prayer. 

Six o'clock passed. The Bishop continued his interces- 
sion. One of the younger children asked a question in 
shrill, childish treble and was immediately silenced. The 
women of the royal family sobbed faintly and the men 
shuffled uneasily. At exactly 6:30 Sir James Reid held up 
his hand, and the people in the room knew that England 
had lost her Queen. The Bishop pronounced the bene- 
diction. 

The Queen passed away quite peacefully. She suflfered 
no pain. Those who were now mourners went to their 
rooms. A few minutes later the inevitable element of 
materialism stepped into this pathetic chapter of inter- 
national history, for the court ladies went busily to work 
ordering their mourning from London. 

The wheels of the world were jarred when the announce- 
ment came, but in this palace at Osborne everything pur- 
sued the usual course. Down in the kitchen they were 
cooking a huge dinner for an assemblage the like of which 
has seldom been known in England, and the dinner prepara- 
tions proceeded just as if nothing had happened. 

For several days previous to the death of the Queen the 
people watched with deepest concern the bulletins at Osborne. 
On the last day it became evident that the end was near, the 
watchers at the lodge gates waiting nervously. Suddenly 
along the drive from the house came a horseman, who cried, 



Tun DEATH OF QUEEN VICTORIA. 453 

" the Queen is dead ! " as He dashed tiirougli the crowds. 
Then down the hillside rushed a myriad of messengers, 
passing the fateful bulletin from one to another, and soon 
the surrounding country knew that a King ruled over Great 
Britain. The local inhabitants walked as if in a dream 
through the streets of Cowes, but they did not hesitate to 
stop to drink the health of the new monarch. 

When the 4 p. m. bulletin announced that the Queen was 
sinking all the watchers at the gates of Osborne House made 
up their minds to remain to the end. The cold was intense 
and a few favored ones sought shelter in the royal lodge, 
just inside, where they waited in absolute silence. The 
telephone bell rang at 7:04 p. m., but before a royal servant 
had time to take the message the chief of the Queen's police 
emerged from the darkness, and with bared head said : 

" Gentlemen, the Queen passed away at 6:30." 

An official message was placed on the table after a brief 
delay, and meantime the news had been flashed wherever all 
over the world the wires tell of civilization. The day had 
been cloudy, chilly, darkly overcast, but soon after the event 
the air was clear and the stars shone brilliantly, a reminder, 
those on the spot discussed, that it was " Queen's weather " — 
her sorrows and cares over. 

One of the voices not often heard in London, that appeals 
to the imagination and makes an impression of the pro- 
foundest solemnity and awe, is the tolling of the great bell 
(" Ben ") of St. Paul's Cathedral, the gift of King William 
II. The tradition is that the big bell never is heard save at 
the death of the sovereign of England or the heir apparent 
to the throne, but that is a mistake. The grand old bell is 
tolled for the death of all royal personages, for Lord Mayors 



454 THE DEATH OF QUEEN VICTORIA. 

of London and tlie Arclibisliops of Canterbury and of 
London. 

The news of tlie death of the Queen reached London in 
this form : 

" Osborne, 6:45 p. m. — My beloved mother has just passed 
away, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. 

"Albert Edward." 

The Lord Mayor replied to the Prince of Wales : 

"Your Royal Highness's telegram announcing the na- 
tion's great loss I have received with profound distress and 
grief, and have communicated this most sad intimation to 
my fellow-citizens. Her Majesty's name and memory will 
forever live in the hearts of her people. 

" May I respectfully convey to Your Royal Highness and 
to all the members ©f the royal family the earnest sym- 
pathy and condolence of the City of London in your great 
sorrow." 

A quarter of an hour later more than a thousand news- 
boys had invaded the streets with black-ruled newspapers, 
crying, " Death of the Queen," while through the dark 
streets boomed the deep-toned notes of " Big Ben," the big 
bell of St. Paul's. The tolling continued for two hours, at 
intervals of a minute, and could be heard for miles in direc- 
tion of the wind. 

Just as the bell began to toll crowds gathered in front of 
the cathedral around the spot where the Queen had prayed 
on the sixtieth anniversary of her accession to the throne. 
They were gazing reverently at the spot when the bell 
began. 

Expressive of sympathy, the flag on the Washington 
White House was half-masted and the example followed on 



THE DEATH OF QUEEN VICTORIA. 455 

all the public buildings in Wasbington and all American 
cities. It was the first time tbe death of a foreign public 
personage bad been recognized by tbe lowering of tbe flag 
on tbe residence of tbe President of tbe United States. 

In tbe House of Representatives, Mr. Hitt, of Illinois, 
Chairman of tbe Committee on Foreign Relations, reported 
these resolutions : 

''''Resolved^ That tbe House of Representatives of the 
United States of America has learned with profound regret 
of the death of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, and sympa- 
thizes with her people in the loss of their beloved sovereign. 

" Resolved^ That the President be requested to communi- 
cate this expression of sentiment of the House to the gov- 
ernment of Great Britain, and that, as a further mark of 
respect to the memory of Queen Victoria, the House do now 
adjourn." 

Not an intimation of dissent was made. 

The resolution on the death of the Queen passed by the 
Senate of the United States, without comment and unani- 
mously, was drawn by tbe venerable Senator Morgan, of 
Alabama, as follows : 

^^ Resolved^ That the death of Her Royal and Imperial 
Majesty Victoria, of noble virtues and great renown, is sin- 
cerely deplored by the Senate of the United States of 
America." 

Tbe day after tbe death of the Queen an officer in position 
to hear tbe words of those guarding the body and to witness 
the progress of arrangements said the bed on which she 
died was removed to another and larger room and Her 
Majesty reposed on it, her face turned slightly to the right 
in the direction of the windows opening on tbe waves of the 
\ 



456 THE DKATH OF QUEEN VICTORIA. 

Solent. THe face under a thin veil was white and statue- 
like. It told nothing of age or suffering. The forlorn ex- 
pression that marked Her Majesty's countenance when last 
she drove around the village had disappeared. The Queen's 
hands were crossed and her wedding ring showed on her 
left hand. The bed was covered with flowers — snowdrops, 
lilies of the valley and evergreens. Two Indian servants 
were on guard, one on each side at the head of the bed. 

At St. Paul's Cathedral there was an exceptionally large 
congregation, and prayers for the royal family were changed 
to read, "for Our Sovereign Lord, the King," and further on, 
"for the Queen Consort, the Duke and Duchess of York, 
and all the royal family." 

The death of the Queen on the Isle of Wight enabled the 
Navy to play a great part in the ceremonies attending the 
removal of the body of the Queen to Portsmouth to take the 
cars for London. A somber pageant of warships was intro- 
duced. The modern battle-liners have not, as a rule, good 
looks to commend them. But what is lacking in beauty 
they make up in formidableness. The waters between the 
Isle of Wight and England, forming a part of the channel, 
are so broad as to hold the entire Navies of Burope if they 
could be assembled. A curious change of scenery is wit- 
nessed there. The shifting of scenes is by the rising or 
falling of the tide. The difference from high to low water- 
mark is about fifteen feet. The night before the naval 
pageantry attending the removal of the coffin of the Queen 
to the greater island, there was a vast brilliant crescent seen 
from Portsmouth — the lights of the ships that were formed 
in due time in two lines, the royal yacht with the English 
oak coffin of the Queen passing through the broad street of 



THE DEATH OF QUEEN VICTORIA. 457 

floating iron castles. The ships are on such occasions an- 
chored at such distances that they cannot run into and 
destroy each other. 

In deference to Her Majesty, the salutes fired in her 
honor for many years when she visited her Navy have been 
with small brass pieces. The shock of the great guns, even 
with light charges, was too much for Her Majesty's nerves, 
and the naval shows at her jubilees did not meet public ex- 
pectations because they were so ugly, and the general 
silence, broken only by the music of distant bands and the 
small guns for salutes, did not appeal to sight or sound as a 
high and mighty festival. The ceremony at the Diamond 
Jubilee of the Queen might have served as a rehearsal for her 
funeral. There were then 108 thunder-strikers in the lines 
of battleships, and the royal yacht moved through the grim 
array in a stately, easy way, the royal standard flying and 
the pop-guns saluting. 

American readers may be puzzled to understand the sev- 
eral stages of the journey of the Queen in her coffin. It was 
from the deathbed at Osborne House to the tomb near 
Windsor. Passing through Cowes, crossing the restful 
home of the British Navy at anchor, taking the cars at 
Portsmouth to London, entering the great city at the Vic- 
toria Station, passing through the principal thoroughfares, 
and taking the train at Paddington Station to Windsor, and 
thence to the marble grave. The first move was from the 
chapel at Osborne, through the lanes to the landing, and then 
by the yacht Alberta, crossing the Solent. The Queen's 
Highlanders, wearing short blue jackets with silver buttons, 
the royal Stuart tartan and kilts and white horse-hair 
sporrans, entered the royal doorway at 1:20 o'clock. Ten 



458 THE DEATH OP QUEEN VICTORIA. 

minutes later, througli tlie glass porcli, tlie cloaked coffin 
was borne into the sunlight and placed on the gun carriage. 
Then came the Queen's male descendants, the naval and 
military equerries in white plumed hats and full uniform, 
wearing their orders, moved on either side of the gun car- 
riage. Behind the Queen's sons and her Emperor grandson 
were her daughters and granddaughters, three in each of 
three rows, " Princess Beatrice sobbing and the Duchess of 
Albany holding and comforting her. The grenadier 
guards, in extended formation, escorted the coffin into the 
royal avenue, where the Queen's pipers opened with the 
funeral dirge of the Black Watch," as an eye-witness 
writes. 

The first stage of the last journey of Her late Majesty was 
the most impressive, because more homelike and homely, the 
least formal and the closest to nature and humanity, of all. 
King Edward and Emperor William, Queen Alexandra and 
all the descendants of the Queen present, walked the road 
described as muddy from Osborne to Cowes. There were 
ten of the royal women in plain black gowns. The road was 
lined on both sides by volunteer soldiers with much metal 
and color in their uniforms. Julian Ralph writes that there 
was at this point " an unparalleled eruption of photographers, 
with cameras ranging all the way from kodak size to huge 
infernal looking biograph machines. These photographers 
were from all over northern Europe, as well as Asia and 
America." The Kaiser and the Kings, the Royal High- 
nesses, the Princes and Princesses, had kodaks snapped by 
dozens right in their faces, and big biographs banged at 
them like rapid-firing guns. The Emperor William 
walked in a very military way, and looked the masterful 



THB DEATH OF QUEEN VICTORIA. 459 

soldier. The Duke of Connaught, the male member of the 
royal family who seems to have the largest endowment of 
manhood, was almost as trim a soldier as the Emperor. 
King Edward is said to have " walked like a civilian," and 
to have " suddenly become an old man;" and it is said of 
him that he "does not look strong." After the King, Em- 
peror and Military Duke came Prince Henry of Prussia, the 
Admiral of the German Navy, the young Duke of Saxe- 
Coburg Gotha, and Prince Arthur of Connaught, then the 
Crown Prince of Denmark, Prince Louis of Battenburg, and 
the Crown Prince of Germany, all shining with decorations. 
Next came the royal women, all in black, led by Queen 
Alexandra, a short step in advance of the Dowager Duchess 
of Saxe-Coburg Gotha, and the Queen's three daughters, 
Louise, Beatrice and the Princess Christian. Julian Ralph 
cabled the Journal : 

" The appearance of the men and the stooping women in 
black, pressed close together, walking with dainty short 
steps, at first suggested to every one that they were servants, 
or at most might be maids in waiting. When it was realized 
that royalty had thrown off all appearance of pomp and was 
exposing itself to unaffected humility before the people a 
stifled ejaculation of surprise burst out all along the line. 
In an instant all women and many men were sobbing." 

Of the remarkable walk on foot by royalty following the 
Queen's cof&n from Osborne House to the landing where the 
yacht was waiting, the Herald correspondent says : 

"The King and Queen, the Kaiser, the Princes and 
Princesses of royal blood, followed their dead with the 
humbleness of peasants, rather than with the show of the 
mighty." 



460 THE DEATH OF QUEEN VICTORIA. 

The crossing of tlie Solent displayed tlie royal Alberta 
with towering catafalque, no passenger visible except the 
captain, who stood like a statue, and four soldiers, also 
statuesque, leaning on their rifles reversed at the corners 
of the coffin, the bands of the eighteen British ships of war 
playing dirges as the yacht passed, and the minute guns 
booming. There had been a haze on the waters in the 
morning, but as the procession moved the sky was blue and 
the sunlight radiant. 

The scenes at Victoria Station, Saturday, February 2, 
when the royal funeral party arrived, were like those of a 
vast reception hall. The Commander-in-chief, Barl Roberts, 
mounted on a spirited brown mare, trotted into the station 
and was the center of attraction for a time. Outside he had 
been received with cheers and was the dominating figure of 
the day after the funeral party. The people in the streets, 
as he passed, forgot the solemnities of the day and cheered, 
shouting "Bobs " and other familiar expressions of approval. 
It was a solemn feature of the surroundings that an im- 
mense number of the people were dressed in or wore em- 
blems of mourning. 

A guard of honor was mounted at the London Stations 
Victoria and Paddington and at Buckingham Palace. At 9 
o'clock the royal coffin, after a brief service on the royal 
yacht, was removed from Portsmouth to London. On 
arrival it was taken from the railway carriage by an 
officer and twelve grenadier guardsmen, placed on a gun 
carriage, khaki-colored, and carried from the Victoria to the 
Paddington Station. The eight Hanoverian cream-colored 
horses which drew the Queen on the occasion of the Dia- 
mond Jubilee were used on this occasion. The gold- 



THE DEATH OE QUEEN VICTORIA. 461 

moiinted harnesses, scarlet-coated postilions and scarlet and 
gold covered grooms who held each of the horses by the 
bridle, made a brave show. The little gun carriage, instead 
of the glittering glass and gold coach, marked the change of 
the significance of the pomp. There were rubber tires on 
the wheels of the gun carriage, which was otherwise as if in 
actual use on the field or march. The place the coffin 
rested was over the gun. 

The question of precedence in the case of the foreign roy- 
alties (there were fifty ranking as prince and higher) gave 
no little trouble, but was arranged with tact. Foreign rep- 
resentatives followed the royal household, their order accord- 
ing to rank. Emperors took precedence of kings, and 
kings were arranged according to the antiquity of their 
dynasties. Carlos of Portugal preceded King Leopold, and 
the latter was ahead of George of Greece. The spectators 
expected an imposing catafalque, and the coffin, unexpect- 
edly simple and small on the gun carriage, was almost past 
before they recognized its presence. There was an oblong 
block concealed beneath a rich pall of white satin, on the 
corners of which were the royal arms. Across the pall the 
royal standard was draped, and a large crown of gold 
encrusted with jewels rested at the head of the coffin, which 
was at the end of the gun carriage immediately over the gun. 
On the foot of the coffin were two smaller crowns, with a 
gold jeweled scepter lying between them. A large bow of 
purple was attached to the coffin and was the only symbol 
of mourning. The horses drawing the gun carriage were al- 
most concealed beneath their splendid harness. Around the 
coffin walked non-commissioned officers of the guards and 
household cavalry; on either side the Queen's equerries, 



462 THE DEATH OF QUEEN VICTORIA. 

lords-in-waiting and pliysicians, all tlie uniforms covered 
witli long dark cloaks. The coffin passed quickly and tlien 
came a group of horsemen, the central figure King Edward 
VII., wearing a black chapeau with a plume of white 
feathers and a long black cloak buttoned around him, hang- 
ing down over his big black horse. He is reported to have 
looked grave, careworn and straight ahead, apparently at the 
gun carriage, and seemed not to see the ranks of soldiers 
hedging back the populace. Windows were crowded with 
black bonneted women. There were multitudes of uncov- 
ered heads and many purple draperies. It was remarked of 
the King that he passed "like a man alone," and that the 
people accepted his sentiments with murmurs of sympathy. 
Beside King Edward on his right rode the Emperor Will- 
iam. The unique commanding figure of the German Em- 
peror could not for a moment be mistaken. He looked 
every inch a soldier and the commander of men. 

His Imperial Majesty glanced right and left as he rode, 
and his hand was frequently raised to the red and white 
feathers hanging over his hat, as he responded to salutes. 

Emperor William also wore a black coat over his new 
British Field Marshal's uniform, and the splendid white 
charger beneath him pranced up and down, giving His 
Majesty an opportunity to display fine horsemanship. 

On the King's left rode his brother, the Duke of Con- 
naught, a man of soldierly appearance, almost unnoticed and 
unrecognized by the people. 

The procession occupied two hours in passing between the 
railroad stations in London, and the run from Paddington 
to Windsor was without incident. At Windsor during the 
movement from the railway station to the Albert Chapel in 



Tfl]^ BEATH OF OUE^N VICl^ORiA. 463 

tlie Castle, tlie horses attacHed to tlie famous gun carriage 
bearing the royal coffin were frightened and became utterly- 
unmanageable. The alarm and chagrin of the King and 
Emperor, who had hurried up to ascertain the cause of delay 
in the procession leaving Windsor Station, was patent upon 
their countenances. The horses struggled in the traces 
and the coffin was almost thrown from the gun carriage. 
Lord Roberts asked the King for permission to take out the 
horses and substitute for them jackies, who had come up 
from Portsmouth as a guard of honor. This suggestion was 
quickly sanctioned, and the last time Victoria's body was 
borne before her subjects it was by her royal " handy men," 
who at an opportune moment saved the situation. 

That night the King sent a message of thanks to Prince 
Henry of Battenburg for the services of the sailors of his 
command. The other hitch occurred during the religious 
part of the ceremony. The service at St. George's Chapel 
was brief but beautiful. The choral service had formed a 
fitting culmination to the martial parades. The trembling 
voice of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is almost blind, 
had scarcely ended the final benediction before he turned to go 
up the altar steps. His sight and strength failed him and he 
tottered, groped and was on the point of falling when the 
Archbishop of York, who had been standing some distance 
behind him, advanced and caught his hand and gently led 
the venerable prelate to the holy table. Then they both 
knelt, the greatest dignitaries of England's church, next in 
rank to the royal blood, their heads bowed upon the purple 
altar cloth. 

The massing of thirty thousand troops in London, and 
the handling of them in perfect form, revealed military 



464 I'HE; death 01? QUEEN VICTORIA. 

organization and expertness In St. James Park was a crowd 
of great proportions, uneasy and adventurous to an ugly- 
extent, climbing trees and fences ingeniously, making them- 
selves disagreeable, and largely engaged in fighting the 
police when the bells began to toll, and then the ruflSans 
behaved themselves and won many compliments for their 
tardy but timely decencies. 

The American Ambassador was at the luncheon at Wind- 
sor, and was thanked by King Edward and others of the 
royal family for the sympathetic public sentiment that had 
been so conspiciously shown in the United States. 

Memorial services were held in many churches in this 
country at the very time the procession was moving in 
London. A London dispatch said : " The remarkable pre- 
dominence of Germans and German influence is noteworthy. 
Emperor William's officers, soldiers and sailors were more 
conspicuous in all the ceremonies than were those of all the 
other nations together. This has had the effect of popu- 
larizing Germany with the people." 

Outside of England, there was no part of the civilized 
earth where the Queen was more sincerely mourned than in 
Canada, and there were solemn services in the British cities 
the world around. There was distinguished recognition of 
the event in all the capitals of Europe, demonstrations of 
mourning in Pekin, Cape Town, Manila, Bombay, Calcutta, 
Cairo and Hong Kong, and in all the Australian cities. 
The number of strangers in London on the funeral day was 
estimated at more than a million. The innumerable omni- 
buses moved in endless lines, their roofs loaded, until Picca- 
dilly looked as though the center of the street was one mass 
of black heads, the owners of which were seated on the tops 



THK D^ATH 01^ QUEEN VICTORIA. 465 

of omnibuses, "that clumsy, out-of-date vehicle which has in- 
creased so much of late years in the streets of London as to 
have become a serious hindrance to general traffic. 

There was a good deal of disappointment over the display 
of the English and German fleets in the Solent, and all the 
vivid writing about the steel walls that protect England 
from the Continent did not conceal the fact ; but there was 
not time allowed to get together a great squadron. However, 
entering Portsmouth harbor the last salute from Victoria's 
navy was given from Nelson's old flag ship, the Victory, 
after which the Alberta was moored to await the morning 
when the royal casket would be transferred to London and 
then to Windsor to be laid beside that of the fondly loved 
husband, on whose tomb Queen Victoria wrote: — "Here 
one day shall I rest with thee." 

A long time before her death the Queen had prepared for 
the event, and deposited a sealed packet with an under sec- 
retary, with detailed instructions as to her burial and all the 
attendant ceremonies. This was done so long ago that it 
was found only after a long search. The most remarkable 
of her expressed desires was that she should be wrapped 
when dead in her bridal veil. A recumbent statue of her 
has for many years been ready to be placed beside that of 
Prince Albert on the sarcophagus. 

The Queen was removd from the Albert Memorial Chapel, 
Windsor, to Frogmore, on the gun carriage, and there was 
the same regalia seen in London. The Queen's face was 
last seen by others than the family and those with duties to 
perform by the crews of the royal yachts on the third night 
after her death. 

Approaching the mausoleum, the crowned bier passed the 



466 THE DEATH OE QUEEN VICTORIA. 

lodge whicli leads to the Frogmore inclosure, wliere none 
but the family and servants were admitted. The coffin was 
borne from the gun carriage by the grenadiers, the pipers 
ceased their dirge, and the choir, moving forward, began to 
sing, "Yet Though I Walk Through the Valley Before." 
The inside of the mausoleum being reached, they sang 
" Man That's Born of Woman." While the royal family 
took their places around the coffin the dome of Victoria's 
tomb re-echoed with the sad strains of "Lord, Thou 
Knowest." 

The Bishop of Winchester, standing on the platform sur- 
rounding the marble figure of the Prince Consort, on which 
rested the Queen's coffin, read the committal prayer and the 
Lord's Prayer. Then the choir sang "Sleep Thy Last 
Sleep," the Dean said the Collect, and the choir broke forth 
into the anthem "The Face of Death Is Turned Toward the 
Sun of Life," and, with hands stretched over the congrega- 
tion, the Bishop of Winchester pronounced the benediction. 



REVIEW 

OF 

QUEEN VICTORIA'S REIGN. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

OUEEN VICTORIA'S reign Has been remarkable not 
alone for its length and peace, but because tbe sixty- 
four years tbrougb wbicli it extends cover the most brilliant 
achievements of English history. These years have seen a 
greater advance in civilization and development of resources 
on the part of the English nation than has marked any other 
period ; they have seen reforms that were once referred to as 
" idle driveling of half-crazed radicals " adopted and pointed 
to with pride by the most conservative elements in politics, 
and they have demonstrated the possession by England's 
Queen of personal characteristics that overshadowed those 
of any predecessor upon the throne and which won for her 
the respect, admiration and love of the people of every civil- 
ized country on the globe. 

It is needless to say again that the achievements of her 
reign exceed those of any other and that the England of to- 
day differs in material civilization from the England of 1837, 
as that period differed from the nation's condition in the 
reign of Charles II. The achievements are not all from 
within, for every civilized nation has aided in bringing them 
about, but much has been done in the way of reform and the 
467 



46^ REVIEW OF QUEEN VICTORIA'S REIGN. 

advance of civilized and enlightened government for whicli 
England alone is responsible. 

During her reign the obnoxious corn laws of England 
vt^ere abolished after bitter and even perilous discussion, thus 
opening a market for the products of American soil and 
cheapening breadstuffs to the operatives and laboring classes 
of England, although British agricultural depression is 
traced to some extent to the repeal of these statutes in 1849. 
The present postal system of the United Kingdom, sug- 
gested by Sir Rowland Hill, which provided a uniform price 
of postage all over the kingdom, was brought forward and 
adopted soon after the Queen's accession, removing the bur- 
den upon private correspondence and rendering it possible 
for even the poorest paid laborer to communicate freely with 
his family and friends. 

Reform in the franchise, for which the first skirmish line 
had been thrown out in 1745, had made some progress, but 
the greater part of the laboring classes remained unenfran- 
chised when Victoria ascended the throne. Agitation of the 
question grew from year to year and the battles raged 
fiercely until 1867, at a time when the United States was 
stirred with the question as to whether the ballot should be 
put into the hands of 4,000,000 liberated slaves, Lord Derby 
and Mr. Disraeli secured the passage of the act by which the 
household and lodger franchises were extended to the bor- 
oughs. To this Mr. Gladstone's government added increased 
extension of the franchise and redistribution of the repre- 
sentation. At the end of the reign of George III. there were 
in a population of 22,000,000 but 440,000 voters ; the reform 
bill of 1832 added but 500,000 voters to the electorate, but 
the legislation of 1867-68 increased that electorate from 



REVIEW OE QUEEN victoria's REIGN. 461^ 

1,136,000 to 2,448,000, and tHe act of 1884 added at once 
2,000,000 to tlie voters of England and Wales, 200,000 in 
Scotland and 400,000 in Ireland, a total of 2,312,000 freemen 
enfranchised during tlie reign. 

Second only to this extension of the franchise in the acts 
bearing upon the liberty of the subject that mark this reign 
was the removal of all disabilities imposed upon the Jews. 
The very highest of&ces in the state are now within the 
reach of the Jews of England, and unlike Roman Catholics 
they may even present to livings in the Church of England. 
The history of the Jewish race in England, connected as 
they have been with her highest offices and greatest glory, 
has justified, if it did not inspire, the generous legislation 
of the reign. 

Education is another institution of the United Kingdom 
that has received a wonderful impetus during the reign of 
Queen Victoria. Especially is this the case with elementary 
education. Lord Brougham in 1835 brought forward a series 
of resolutions stating that it was incumbent upon Parliament 
further to encourage the establishment of schools and to 
provide seminaries for the instruction of teachers, but no 
important step was taken until 1838, when the House of 
Commons proceeded to an investigation and a vivid picture 
of the destitution of the towns, so far as educational facilities 
were concerned, was drawn. 

In 1870, before the passage of the education act, the num- 
ber of schools in England and Wales receiving government 
aid had risen since 1846 to 9,563 ; scholars, 1,152,389, the 
staff of certified teachers, 12,467, and the government grant 
to ^464,943. In 1888 the schools numbered 19,267, con- 
taining 29,089 separate departments, under head teachers ; 



470 REVIEW OF QUEEN VICTORIA'S REIGN. 

the number of scholars was 4,660,301 ; the certified teachers, 
43,628, and the annual grant, ;^3,07i,547, while the figures 
of the present day point to the institution of elementary 
education as probably the most magnificent achievement of 
the Queen's reign. 

Sir Bdward Arnold, writing of the vast changes which the 
world has seen during the Victorian era, said : 

"Among the countless vast advances made by civilization 
generally and by England in particular, how rarely does 
anybody think of the enormous service rendered everywhere 
by the simple innovation of the phosphorus match, which I 
thus saw sold for a halfpenny a sample on the Queen's coro- 
nation day. I do not even know whether the lucifer can be 
set down as a British discovery ; yet, of what wonderful new 
times, of what superb mental and mechanical expansions, of 
what amazing revelations in science and advances in arts, 
trades, commerce, geographical research, imperial posses- 
sions, uprises in political liberty, education and daily life ; 
of what stirring events abroad, what augmentation of popu- 
lation and national wealth at home and what unforeseen 
but epoch-making occurrences generally, the coronation 
match was to become the humble harbinger. 

"One needs, no doubt, to strain the memory in order to 
force it back into realizing all the strange backwardnesses 
of those days. Let me, nevertheless, make an endeavor 
toward this by means of a sharp contrast or two in facts and 
figures. The revenue of the United Kingdom — to-day ex- 
ceeding ;^ioo,ooo,ooo — stood in 1837 at ;^47,ooo,ooo only. 
There was no railway open between Liverpool and Birming- 
ham in that England which now has 21,000 miles of iron 
roads ; and you still went dgwn to the Blackwall docks in 



REVIEW OE QUEEN VICTORIANS REIGN. 47 1 

carriages drawn by a rope. Not a single electric wire 
spanned the air or burrowed tbrougb tbe eartb or crept 
under the sea. Lord Beaconsfield, whose primrose day is 
now a national festival, had not made his maiden speech. 
The Sirius and the Great Western steamers — earliest of 
their kind — had yet to cross the Atlantic; Grace Darling 
had not by her sweet story of heroism started our noble 
lifeboat system, the glory of British coasts ; India was still 
reached only by the long Cape route, for Waghorn did not 
ventilate his overland scheme in the Jerusalem coffee house 
until Oct. 12, 1838. Human slavery was only just formally 
condemned by the voice of England, since it was but No- 
vember, 1838, that the city council of London voted its free- 
dom in a gold box to Thomas Clarkson as token of his 
triumph in the struggle for the deliverance of enslaved 
Africans, * thereby,' so the memorable inscription ran, 'ob- 
taining for his country the high distinction of separating 
her commercial greatness from principles incompatible with 
the exercise of the religion of mercy and achieving a moral 
victory whose trophies shall endure while justice, freedom, 
the clemency of power and the peaceful glories of civiliza- 
tion shall have any place in the admiration of mankind.' 

" We had practically little use as yet of railroads, telegraph 
wires, and of steam navigation, and were only beginning to 
get the new machine of our popular representative institu- 
tions into order at the time when these coronation trumpets 
sounded. The reform act was but five years old ; the crim- 
inal law was still fierce and bloody ; the wealth of even such 
a family as Mr. Gladstone's had been derived without public 
scruples frorc^ the labor and sale of slaves ; when — softly 
and auspiciously — into this epoch, the description of which 



472 REVIEW OE QUEEN VICTORIA'S REIGN. 

must smack of barbarism to tbe young, as we recall it, 
entered the gracious figure of tbe girl Queen, bringing in 
her hand the magic wand of virtue, and, as we see to-day, 
those hidden national benedictions which accompany its 
eternal potency. For indeed our Queen has borne an im- 
mense personal part in molding her age, if that age has 
reflected back upon her name and her greatness a luster 
beyond the glory of all other reigns ; re-establishing espe- 
cially the ancient ideal of monarchy, and in an epoch of wild 
change and much political commotion at home and abroad, 
displayed to the world this, our ancient throne of England, 
securely planted amid falling dynasties and failing republics, 
like a vast rock in the stormy seas. 

" I said I would try to avoid facts and statistics, yet they 
sometimes teach us much in little space. The population 
has, for example, increased from 25,600,000 in 1837 ^^ about 
40,000,000 to-day. The aggregate property of the people, 
calculated by Sir R. Giffen on the basis of the income-tax 
figures, has been augmented from about ^4,000,000,000 
sterling to more than ;^ 10,000,000,000. Of swelling impe- 
rial revenues I have already spoken. Pig iron, a great test 
of industrial activity — produced in 1837 ^^ ^^^ extent of 
1,250,000 tons — was last year smelted to the extent of more 
than 7,000,000 tons. Of cotton we consumed then 406,000,- 
000 pounds, and now consume over 1,500,000,000 of pounds. 

" In foreign trade our advance has been more than 450 
per cent. The output of coal is twenty-five times greater. 
We import of tea 420 per cent more than in 1837, and of 
tobacco 150 per cent more, while our shipping has risen by 
700 per cent, and to-day, in an immense preponderance, 
dominates all the waters of commerce. In 1837 our colonial 



REVIEW OF QUEEN VICTORIA'S REIGN. 473 

population was tinder 4,000,000. It stands now at over 
18,000,000, of course excluding India — which, majestic 
charge and possession, under the 'Pax Britannica,' has well- 
nigh doubled its ancient native census. The total area of 
the British empire — previously in the eyes of mankind 
sufficiently colossal — has grown to 10,000,000 of square 
miles; and the subjects of her majesty, all directly looking 
to her as their sovereign and ruled by her benignant hand, 
maybe estimated, in the mass, to-day, at more than 320,000,- 
000 of human beings ! 

"The forward march of science during these sixty years 
has been nothing less than astonishing. Justly did Profes- 
sor Huxley call the Victorian period ' a revolution of modern 
minds.' Out of this love of knowledge pursued with single 
hearts before the reign, or at its commencement, by Herschel 
and Laplace, Young, Fresnel, Cavendish, Lamarck, Davy, 
Jussieu, Cuvier, Decandolle, Faraday, Tyndall, Darwin and 
their like, there sprang up under this reign the fruit of 
countless rich practical applications. Three achievements 
in physical philosophy alone have been sufficient to immor- 
talize the reign — the scientific doctrines, first, of the molecu- 
lar constitution of matter; secondly, of the conservation 
of energy ; thirdly, of evolution as divined by Darwin. 

"That last illustration shines of itself like a lonely star 
of glory, sufficient to make resplendent the Victorian con- 
stellation of talent. But consider how, practically, all our 
electrical developments also lie inside this period, with well- 
nigh all the marvelous utilization of steam on sea and land ; 
almost all the amazing improvements in mechanical, indus- 
trial machinery ; almost all the discoveries in hygienic mat- 
ters; together with vast advances in chemistry, metallurgy, 



474 REVIEW OF QUEEN VICTORIA'S REIGN. 

astronomy, physiology, and, we may add, geography, geology 
and biology. Only to mention the spectroscope, the camera, 
the microphone, the phonograph, the telephone and the 
kinetoscope — alluded to above — is to use words never heard 
sixty years ago, though now so familiar." 

The constitution of the British Empire changes with the 
precedents. There is accretion of things done. After more 
than a century of kings, Victoria as a girl queen took the 
throne and held it for two-thirds of a century. What of the 
precedents of her reign that changed the constitution ? In 
her husband's time he was at first studiously inconspicuous, 
for British statesmen were naturally jealous of his influence, 
and it took some time for them to make up their minds that 
he was an Englishman. It is said that the Queen wanted, 
when first inclined to accept him as her husband, to defer 
the marriage until he could speak better English ; but this 
is to be modified by the fact that for some years before Albert 
and Victoria met, their relatives had planned their union 
and he had been a special student of the English language. 
The first strong personal impression he made in England 
was in his management of the Crystal Palace Exposition, in 
which he took a great interest, but he contrived to' arouse 
indignation by an academic phrase in which he said that 
"Constitutional Government is on trial." It was an unfor- 
tunate phrase for him, requiring a great deal of explanation, 
and inconsistent with his reputation for wisdom. Lord Pal- 
merston had the reputation of snubbing him, but naturally 
the Prince Consort had a distinct influence with the Queen 
in foreign affairs. It was well understood that she consulted 
him particularly, and was strongly disposed to accept his 
judgment, as in the Mason and Slidell case with this coun- 



REVIEW oE ouE^N Victoria's reic^n. 475 

try, when Prince Albert revised a state dispatcli of the 
gravest character and the phantom of another war between 
England and America vanished. 

Earl Russell, the Foreign Secretary, prepared the dispatch 
to the United States, which was an ultimatum in very force- 
ful terms. Mason and Slidell had been taken from the 
British West Indian steamer "Trent" by the American 
ship of war, " San Jacinto," and the act had been approved 
by our Secretary of the Navy, and Captain Wilkes, who 
ordered the capture, complimented by our House of Repre- 
sentatives. England was preparing for war. Prince Albert 
was in bed with the fever from which he died. It is said 
that he got hold of the dispatch while the Queen was out 
driving. The probability is she handed it to him. The last 
use he made of a pen was to change the hostile message 
into one of courtesy. The war threat was removed, and the 
Queen would not consent to the use of any other words than 
those written by the Prince. 

The earlier experiences of the Queen as a ruler were under 
the guidance of men of experience, who permitted her to have 
her way in pardoning a few convicted criminals. She insisted 
upon her prerogative to that effect, even in cases where at- 
tempts were made on her life, but she " did not have much 
influence with the government." The ministry at the time 
was " Whig." Lord Melbourne, the premier, and the Whigs 
made an effort to keep the young Queen quite to themselves, 
encouraging her to assert herself under their influence. It 
was thought at the time that she had lost some of the 
pleasing characteristics at first displayed, for it is said of her 
that she talked a good deal at the theaters, paying little 
attention to the plays, and acquired an air of self-confidence 



476 REVIEW OE QUEEN VICTORIA'S REIGN. 

not pleasing as tlie modesty of her demeanor when first npon 
the throne. Her courtship and marriage seemed to restore 
her to her better self. She had the advantages of her hus- 
band's advice for about twenty years, and then for nearly 
forty years was a widow, intensely regardful of her public 
duty, but holding herself remote from the busy and brilliant 
world that exceedingly desired her company. 

The most distinguished precedent of her long reign was 
that she did not govern and did not strive to do so. Her 
views regarding the character of her Court were peremptory, 
and she was occasionally self-willed as to intercourse with 
foreign pov/ers. She was well understood to be antagonistic 
to Mr. Gladstone's policy, which by his opponents was 
styled one of "dismemberment." She did not take the 
great part in the great affairs of the Empire that the Georges 
and her immediate predecessor had done, and was not known 
even to desire to extend her prerogatives. 



PRINCE OF WALES 

SUCCEEDS AS 

KING EDWARD VII. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

A CCORDING to tlie Constitution of Great Britain and 
Ireland the succession to the throne never lapses 
if there is an heir. The moment of the death of the mon- 
arch the heir to the throne becomes king or queen. The 
second of time in which Queen Victoria drew her last 
breath, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, drew his first 
breath as ruler of the British Empire. He was unable, how- 
ever, to assume the duties of that office until notification 
was received from official channels. Even so there were 
many formalities to be gone through before all the functions 
necessary to the inception of a monarch to the throne of 
England were completed. 

A few moments after the death of the Queen the Prince 
of Wales received official notification from Downing Street 
to the effect that he was expected to take up the reins of 
government at once, which notification he formally accepted 
as soon as received. 

According to the statutes of England, the Privy Council 
and Parliament met immediately after the death of the 
Queen to perform the functions devolving upon those bodies 
at the accession of a new ruler. At a meeting of the Cabi- 
net, held immediately before the assembling of Parliament, 

477 



47§ ^RiNCE OF WAtES StJCCKieDS as iClNCi EDWARt) Vii. 

tlie members gave up their keys to receive tliem back from 
the new ruler. 

On the evening of the Queen's death absolute silence 
reigned in the vicinity of Buckingham Palace and Marlbor- 
ough House. Everywhere the one topic of conversation was 
what would happen under the new reign. Much interest 
was evinced in the way in which the fortune of the dead 
Queen would be distributed, the general notion being that 
Osborne House would go to Princess Beatrice and that she 
and Princess Christian would come into a considerable por- 
tion of Victoria's wealth. The probability that King Ed- 
ward would take up a practically permanent residence in 
Buckingham Palace was much canvassed. This question 
interested Londoners. Queen Victoria's preference for Bal- 
moral Castle and Osborne House has been a complaint of 
long standing in the metropolis, and it was hoped that the 
new reign would see a change in this respect. The presence 
of the court in London would give a brightness and gayety 
which have long been absent. 

The effect of the Queen's death on London was unlooked 
for. Men spoke of the King with hesitancy. The words 
"King Edward" were strange to them. There was no 
thought of gayety. Private and public pleasures were for- 
gotten. Social functions were abandoned and theatres were 
closed. Illuminated signs were put out, clubs and restau- 
rants were deserted and the city was practically in darkness. 
Everywhere the effect of the policy of the new King was 
discussed. 

The chronology of the new ruler of the Empire is briefly 
as follows : 

Born Nov. 9, 1841. 



PRINCE O^ WALES SUCCEEDS AS KING EDWARD VII. 479 

Took seat in the House of Lords as Duke of Cornwall, 
Feb. 6, 1863. 

Married Princess Alexandra of Denmark, Marcli 10, 1863. 

Succeeded to the throne, Jan. 22, 1901. 

The new King's first Privy Council was held at St. 
James Palace Jan. 23d. He entered London from Osborne 
at 2:55 p. m., and passed to the Palace of St. James by way 
of Marlborough House. There were great crowds waiting 
to see him. He was received with silence and grave respect 
on approaching the palace, and on returning he was deco- 
rously cheered. 

Will Edward VII. be content to follow in his mother's 
footsteps, or undertake to walk in the beaten track 
of the kings ? The document we have to study as possibly 
throwing light upon this theme is his first speech in the 
Privy Council on the day after the death of the Queen. He 
said: "My constant endeavor will be always to walk in my 
mother's footsteps." He added: "In undertaking the 
heavy load that now devolves upon me, I am fully deter- 
mined to be a constitutional sovereign in the strictest sense 
of the word so long as there is breath in my body." But 
the " constitutional sovereign," after all, is one who follows 
the precedents as he understands them — the way Andrew 
Jackson had of interpreting our written constitution! Ed- 
ward VII. promises in his speech, while he has life, "to 
work for the good and amelioration of my people." There 
is an individuality apparent in these words and we get a 
look into the mind of the new King when he uses "ameli- 
oration " instead of " reform," and refers to the people as 
" my people." Is the "my people " used as the Emperor of 
Germany employs the pronoun " my " when he says " my 
army " ? 



480. PRINCE OF WALES SUCCEEDS AS KING EDWARD VII. 

Disraeli made many precedents during his premiership 
and accentuated others, and all were in the direction of in- 
creased imperialism. He put the "my" and "I" very 
strong in the messages for the Queen that he wrote — " my 
army," "my Parliament" — and he certainly strengthened 
Her Majesty's possessive case and actually made her " Em- 
press of India," and she added the imperial " I." after the 
royal " R." of her signature. 

In the first speech of the new King, his reference to his 
father is rather involved, but his intention is evidently in 
good taste, and his purpose to put aside the name of his 
father because he wisely preferred to be King Edward rather 
than King Albert. It is said there was a moment of appre- 
hension in the House of Commons, where there was a doubt 
whether the new King would call himself (for he had the 
authority to name himself) by the name of his father rather 
than of a line of kings. There was much satisfaction ex- 
pressed when he announced that he would be Edward, saying 
he was resolved to be known as Edward, for that was the name 
"borne by six of my ancestors." The reason why he did 
not prefer to be Albert was, he says, that he desires the 
name to " stand alone," and he proceeds to pronounce his 
father as " ever to be lamented, great and wise," afterward 
saying of him that he " is, by universal consent, known, I 
think deservedly, by the name of 'Albert the Good ' " ; that is, 
the King does not dissent from the universal consent that 
his father was good and leaves the name "Albert the Good" 
to " stand alone." Whether the King means to call atten- 
tion to the fact that his arduous duties "devolve" upon him 
" by inheritance " — and he used the words "devolve "and 
" inherit " twice, and also " determined " twice — this strong 



PRINCE OF WALES SUCCEEDS AS KING EDWARD VII. 48 1 

word both times in defining his purpose of performing pub- 
lic duties. First he is "determined " to be a "constitutional 
sovereign," and last he is "determined to devote my whole 
strength during the remainder of my life" to "inherited" 
duties. It is safe to say King Edward places his 
strongest words in the right place, though he seems to labor 
in doing so, and there is a studied distinction when he says 
in the first lines of his speech between his " I know " and 
"I think" in the sentence " I know how deeply you and 
the whole Nation, and I think I may say the whole world, 
sympathize with the irreparable loss we have all sustained." 
It is to be considered that in all the reports of the speech it 
is stated that the King spoke entirely without notes, and it 
is repeated that the speech was extemporaneous. Still, it is 
considered a success. 

A special " Gazette " was issued on the day King Edward 
spoke to the Privy Council, and the time and place of the 
death of the Queen was formally announced. The Privy 
Council issued the usual proclamation, which bore the sig- 
natures of the Duke of York, the Duke of Connaught, the 
Duke of Cambridge, Prince Christian, the Archbishop of 
Canterbury and others. The first proclamation of the King 
was issued in the special Gazette, citing the acts of Queen 
Anne and King William IV. as to the retention of crown 
offices, decreeing that all officeholders in the United King- 
dom, colonies, foreign possessions and India shall continue 
to hold office during His Majesty's pleasure. It is note- 
worthy that in this document the King is styled " Edward, 
R.," not "Edward R. I." 

In the House of Lords, when the oath of allegiance was 
taken, about a hundred persons were present, and in the 



482 PRINCE OF WALES SUCCEEDS AS KING EDWARD VII. 

gallery were peeresses dressed in mourning. The Lord 
Cliancellor took tlie oath of allegiance and signed the roll, 
and was followed by Prime Minister Salisbury, Earl Rob- 
erts, the Duke of York and the Duke of Connaught. 

In the House of Commons there was a full attendance, 
except of Irish members. The Speaker took the oath of 
allegiance and then administered the oath to the others. 
Not a word was spoken during this session of the House 
except by the Speaker himself. 

The policy of Prince Albert in educating the heir to the 
throne was that foreign travel was necessary to broaden his 
views, and this idea was developed in the Prince of Wales, 
who, accompanied by the Duke of Newcastle to Canada, and 
joined there by Lord Lyons, the British Minister to Amer- 
ica, made a tour through Canada and the United States. 
This was in i860, during the intense sectional agitation 
that led up to our great war of States North and South— 
a most favorable occasion for observation by Englishmen, 
though not one that we should have cared foreigners should 
witness. Fortunately we did not know at the time what a 
tremendous crisis we were entering. 

Hon. James Buchanan was our Minister to England 
during the Administration of Franklin Pierce. He was a 
man of pleasing presence, dignified and kindly deportment, 
simple and elegant in his dress, polite and polished in soci- 
ety. He was white-haired, florid, imposing in appearance, 
a typical Englishman of the higher order — altogether so 
handsome and courteous that only Bishop Mcllvaine ex- 
ceeded him in attractiveness according to the English 
standard. One of the distinctions of Mr. Buchanan as 
American Minister at the Court of St. James was that of 



PRINCE OF WALES SUCCEEDS AS KING EDWARD VII. 483 

having consideration as of the most favored diplomats. He 
was persona grata^ and formed the personal acquaintance of 
the Queen and Prince Consort. When, as President of 
the United States, he invited the Queen and Consort to ex- 
tend the Canadian visit of their son, Albert Edward, to the 
United States, there was given an acceptance more than 
formally gracious. 

The American people were quite curious touching His 
Royal Highness, who traveled in our country as Baron 
Renfrew, the most modest of his many titles. At Rich- 
mond, Virginia, the heir to the British throne was favored 
with a few observations about George Washington's conduct 
and success in the war of the American Revolution that were 
not strictly flattering. It was even mentioned, as the Prince 
passed through one of the principal streets, that we were 
"the fellows that gave George III. the colic." At the tomb 
of Washington the great-grandson of George III. stood hat 
in hand, and the incident was regarded as one of historical 
significance. 

The Prince was at Philadelphia at the time of intense 
political excitement, when the street cries were so violent 
and the uncontrollable rush of masses of men apparently 
threatened the public peace. It was said to be the opinion of 
the British statesmen and gentlemen who accompanied 
" Baron Renfrew " that Philadelphia was a hotbed of dis- 
order, and that the Republican institutions founded there 
were about to perish on the spot where the Fourth of July 
was ordained ; but the day after the night of tempestuous 
and rather incoherent fury the city resumed the character of 
brotherly love so far as to keep the peace. The English 
visitors were for once astonished — at least they were accused 
of astonishment. 



484 PRINCE OF WALES SUCCEEDS AS KING EDWARD VII. 

In Cincinnati tlie Prince — tlie people forgot all about 
Baron Renfrew — attended a brilliant ball at Pike's Opera 
House, and the first cotillon the future Edward VII. danced 
at tbat festivity was witb Mrs. S- N. Pike. The young man 
was fond of dancing, and balls for his entertainment took 
place in several cities, so that many ladies now in the sixties, 
when they count the years of their ages, have agreeable 
recollections of dancing with the Queen's son, who was said 
to dance well and to converse like a rational person. He 
was then a slender youth wearing a Prince Albert coat, with 
gray trousers, brightly colored neckties and substantial 
shoes, and what they called in England then a " billycock 
hat." He carried a slender bamboo cane, and used it chiefly 
to lightly switch his trousers' legs. His voice was low and 
well modulated ; his figure rather that of his mother than 
his father — that is, he was short, and then he was also slen- 
der. His appearance was boyish and he had a boy's keen 
interest in surroundings and a desire " to have some fun." 
It was the rule of the Prince's suite to avoid private en- 
tertainments, for the tendency of the hospitalities was 
rather to heavy dinners — many courses and much wine. 

An exception was made in Cincinnati in the case of Mr. 
Bowler, of Clifton, a gentleman of English birth, whose wife 
was of the Pendleton family of Cincinnati and Virginia. 
Mr. Bowler's mid-day lunch has been called a " buffet enter- 
tainment," but that is an error. There was a splendidly 
furnished table, and at it sixteen seats, all occupied. Before 
dinner was ready. Baron Renfrew walked about the grounds 
and looked with favor upon Clifton and the expanse of the 
Mill Creek Valley. 

At Hamburg, Germany, where the air and the walks and 



PRINCE OF WALES SUCCEEDS AS KING EDWARD VII. 485 

waters are delightful, tlie Prince prefers to take an annual 
" cure." Here his sister, the Empress Friedrich, has a castle 
in a piny grove. The Prince noted a few years ago the 
presence of James G. Blaine and expressed a desire to meet 
him. They were introduced and had a walk and talk. Mr. 
Blaine recalled the fact that they " met in i860," and His 
Royal Highness said with a laugh and a deep voice that 
suggested public speaking, at which he is handy, " Oh, I was 
then a boy." " A very engaging boy," said Blaine. The 
Prince took off his hat and acknowledged the compliment 
with a low bow and a smile. The conversation that followed 
was highly enjoyed by both gentlemen. 

In the condition of the affairs of the world, there is no 
question that while the death of Queen Victoria at a great 
age leaves her dynasty firmly on the throne, and the succes- 
sion is from an aged woman to a man trained for the position 
and capable, the power of the crown has a vagueness of out- 
line and is considerably dependent upon the personal faculty 
and social and political tact of His Majesty. The death of 
the Queen, after reigning from the age of eighteen until an 
octogenarian, marks an epoch that profoundly interests 
mankind. The extent to which the event will effect tbe 
Nations is only dimly known ; but that there will be changes 
of importance by indirection, while the whole world will 
develop and mankind progress on familiar lines ; there will 
be wars and rumors of wars, and cries of peace when there 
is no peace ; there will be marvels of science and beauties of 
art, achievements that command, from the ends and the 
depths of the earth, the material for the evolutions of labors 
that sustain and enrich; and the date of the death of the 
good old Queen will be one to count from — a landmark in 
History. 



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